Fairy Tail Academy
by VioletFlame44
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is the new nerd at Fairy Tail Academy. Natsu Dragneel, rich and the captain of the basketball team, is the most popular guy in the school. But what is Lucy hiding behind her glasses? What happens when Natsu discovers it? Find out what unlikely romance develops between this pair. Nalu with some Gale, Jerza and Gruvia!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **Authors Note (Please read!): Before this story starts (sorry but this is a bit of a spoiler) I want to say that I have nothing against Lissana, and I think she's a very sweet and kind girl (just as long as she stays away from Natsu, as I hate the paring Nali. Sorry Nali fans, but its Nalu all the way for me!) but I needed a bitchy character in this who's the sort of love rival and she was the only one I could think of that suited the best. So sorry!**

17 year old Lucy Heartfilia stared at the girl in the long mirror in front of her. It was a sight she was not accustomed to seeing. The girl's blonde hair was in a messy bun, one that many would consider rather ugly. Her pale face was make-up free (but that wasn't unusual. She was fortunate enough to have very clear skin, so she rarely wore make-up anyway). She was dressed in the standard Fairy Tail Academy uniform – buttoned navy blazer with red lined lapels, pocket on the left with the Fairy Tail insignia, white blouse with a red tie, light grey skirt, thin dark blue socks that came to just below the knee and shiny black flats **(cover pic).**

There were a few abnormalities though. Both her blazer and blouse were a few sizes too big, their bagginess making her look fat as well as hiding her generous chest, if she did say so herself . Her skirt was longer than it would normally be, covering the top of her legs ending just barely above her knees. And last but not least, this girl had a pair of thin red glasses perched on her nose **(the same as the gale-force reading glasses, only without the wing parts)**

Lucy didn't actually need the glasses (their lenses were normal glass), her eye sight was perfectly fine. She was perfectly capable of making her hair look a lot more stylish, and she had a perfect figure, one that caused most girls to loathe her for it. In her previous school she was even nicknamed 'the blonde bombshell'. So why hide it all behind a nerdy disguise? You'll find out soon enough.

Lucy turned and took a last glance around her new apartment. The spacious pink room of 23 Strawberry Street was cosy and comfortable. She was lucky to have snagged such a great place for only 70,000 jewels rent! Her landlord **(it's not the old lady in this, you'll find out who it is later)** was super nice, and even gave her a discount on her rent until she got settled in and got a job.

Lucy grabbed her old black satchel that was filled with her new school supplies, and with another quick in the mirror she headed out the door. She shut the door softly and locked her new apartment. Her keys jangled merrily as she slipped them inside her satchel and hurried down the stairs and out onto the street, walking swiftly in the direction of her new school.

15 minutes later, she stood at the front steps of the prestigious Fairy Tail Academy. The large white stone building stretched high above her, the name emblazoned near the top in large black metal letters, with the famous Fairy Tail insignia placed below. It was the first time she'd ever she the place up close. Once she decided to move to Magnolia, she chose Fairy Tail because it was the most famous school in all Fiore and was said to accept only the best. It seemed like a place where everyone was welcome.

Lucy took a deep breath and skipped up the front steps. She opened the glittering glass doors and stepped into the foyer. The white tiles beneath her feet gleamed in the sunlight that streamed through the many windows lining the foyer. She made her way quietly through the corridors, keeping her head down and trying to stay inconspicuous. It was a success, as the many chattering students that gathered by the shining metal lockers on either side barely spared her a glance.

Lucy turned a corner to find the principal's office right in front of her. She gulped nervously, stepped forward and timidly knocked the wooden door twice. She played anxiously with her hands and waited. The door swung open just as the bell went off in the distance. Lucy looked down to find a short old man standing in front of her. "Good morning miss. I'm Makarov, Fairy Tail Academy's principal. You must be Lucy Heartfilia". "Yes sir" she replied. He opened the door and gestured for her to walk in.

•••

Lucy left Makarov's office after he explained what to expect from Fairy Tail Academy, the rules etc. She found a pretty girl with white hair and blue eyes in a pink dress waiting for her outside. "Lucy Heartfilia?" she asked. Lucy nodded. The girl smiled brightly. "I'm Mirajane, Makarov's secretary. You can call me Mira" she said cheerily. She extended a piece of paper. "Here's your timetable. You're in all your classes with a girl called Levy McGarden, so I'll ask her to help you if you're stuck with anything". "Thank you" Lucy said with a smile. Mira smiled back. "And now it's time for your tour! Follow me!"

The tour took a whole class, because the school was so large. At the end, Mira stopped beside a classroom and turned to Lucy. "This is your next class" she said. "Before you go inside, I wanted to ask, how are you settling into Magnolia?" "I'm starting to fall in love with it already!" Lucy laughed. "I've got a lovely apartment, so now all I need is a job". "Oh? A job?" Mira said. "Well if you're interested, I own a café called Mira's Café, and one of our part-time waitresses left not that long ago. Her position is open if you'd like it. I can put you on evening shifts after school hours".

"Mira that would be wonderful!" Lucy grinned, clasping her hands. "Well then, looks like you've got a job! Stop by at around 6 O'clock tonight, I'll get you settled in. Levy knows where it is, and I'll be hanging around Makarov's office if you can't find her". "Thank you so much" Lucy said. Mira waved a hand and grinned. "Don't mention it. Here, give this to the teacher when you go in. Good luck Lucy!" Mira handed her a piece of paper and waved as she walked back down the corridor. Lucy waved cheerfully back, before turning, knocking quickly and gently pushing the door open.

All eyes turned to her. She swallowed her nervousness and shut the door behind her. Whispers were already swirling through the classroom. As was expected, there was more than one hiss of "Who's the nerd?" and "look at the geek!" Lucy wasn't surprised by this. The majority of the insults were coming from a particular group of girls. One glance told Lucy all she needed to know. Beautiful, wearing expensive jewellery, fashionable and stylish, constantly texting (she could see that mobile under the table). No doubt the popular girls.

This group was made up of four girls. There was one with very light blonde hair, one with dark raven hair, one with dark brown hair and one with white. The one with the white hair looked like the leader. She was sniggering at something one of the others whispered in her ear. Probably about how ugly Lucy is. So we have the popular girls, that means…Yup, there they were. Right to the left were no doubt the popular boys, the athletes, the playboys, the charmers.

This group also consisted of four people. The first had blue hair and a strange red tattoo down the right side of his face. He seemed quiet, and was sitting back observing the rest of the class. Next was a large guy with bushy black hair and a lot of piercings. He looked grumpy, and was sitting with a blank look in his red eyes staring at the wall. Next came a boy with navy hair, who…WASN'T WEARING A SHIRT! Lucy fought the blush that threatened to surface on her cheeks (having never had a boyfriend she wasn't used to this kind of thing). He didn't even seem to notice (although several girls in the class seemed to have picked up the eye candy on display. One particular blue haired girl looked like she was going to faint)

He was hissing something at the final member of the group. They looked like they were having an argument. Lucy shifted her gaze to said final member, and despite herself her breath caught in her throat. He had unusual spiky pink hair, and dark onyx eyes. His blazer hung open, and the thin white shirt did little to hide the deliciously built torso underneath. Lucy swallowed painfully. He looked bored, his eyes drifting slowly over the classroom as the navy haired boy angrily whispered away. His eyes flicked up to meet hers.

Lucy froze, her heart jumping slightly. It felt like electricity crackled between them. His eyes held her locked in a trance as time ticked by unnoticed to either of them. She watched as his eyes widened ever so slightly, and one eyebrow dipped. A small smile graced his lips as he watched her standing there. A soft noise sounded beside her, and she dragged her eyes away from his mysterious stare to look at the teacher. He had dark blue hair and a small blue moustache clinging to his upper lip. Realizing she must have been standing there for a while, Lucy flushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.

She softly stepped forward and handed the teacher the piece of paper Mira gave her. The teacher lowered her gaze and quickly scanned the curvy writing. "Class we have a new student" she said. "This is Lucy Heartfilia". Lucy offered a small smile to the class. "I'm Mr Conbolt. Could Levy please raise her hand?" A small hand went up near the back. Lucy saw it belonged to a small petite girl with wavy light blue hair. "You can sit beside Miss McGarden from now on" he said. Lucy nodded and quietly made her way over to Levy.

Levy grinned and extended her hand after Lucy sat down beside her. "I'm Levy. It's nice to meet you" she whispered. Lucy took her hand. "Lucy. It's nice to meet you too". They shared a grin before turning as Mr Conbolt continued with the class.

•••

By the time lunchtime arrived Lucy and Levy were quickly becoming fast friends, after discovered their shared love for reading. "Ever read Midnight Breeze by Amber Woods?" **(Btw I'm making these names up, they are not actual books. If they do happen to be actual books or real authors it is completely coincidental and I am a psychic** **)** "Oh yes! Loved it!" Lucy trilled enthusiastically. "I know right!" Levy squealed. Lucy giggled as she shoved her books into her locker and grabbed her packed lunch. Levy was an incredibly enjoyable person.

High pitched squeals swarmed the air like sirens. Lucy and Levy both looked up to see what the fuss was about. They soon found out why. The popular boys from her class were casually strutting down the corridor as girls' promptly swooned left right in centre. Lucy's upper lip curled slightly in annoyance. I mean come on, they aren't that hot! (Well…she come make an argument about pinky but still!) Speaking of which, he was at the head of the four boys, not paying much attention to the fangirls.

His eyes met hers again. Again, it felt like electricity crackled in the air around her. She pulled away from his intense gaze to suddenly become very interested in her locker. Just as she did, the popular girls made their appearance. The four of them pranced up to the four boys, and the white haired leader wasted no time in flinging her arms around pinky's neck. Lucy felt a slight pang at that but dismissed it quickly. She'd only know the guy for an hour or so.

Natsu Dragneel stopped himself from growling out loud in anger once the infamous Lissana Strauss once again made a show of fawning over him. The constant twittering and swooning of fangirls was annoying enough without throwing Lissana into the mix. Being popular had its downsides as well as perks. He forced himself to politely push her off, mutter a quick Hi, and keep walking. Gray shot him a sympathetic glance as she trailed after him, chattering away about some crap he really didn't care about.

Natsu found his eyes drawn once more to the new girl. What was her name? Ah yes, Lucy Heartfilia. Frankly he hadn't been able to stop staring at her since she got there. Once he first made contact with those beautiful dark honey orbs he felt like his stomach had decided it was a pancake. He lost count of the number of times it flipped over. She looked like a nerd but there was just something about her…he felt there was more to this girl than met the eye. It was like there was a magnetic force pulling him towards her.

Lucy waited until the popular group disappeared then turned to Levy. "Popular groups?" "Yup" Levy replied with a grimace. Linking their arms, Levy filled her in on the way to lunch. "For the girls, the raven haired is Kira Silver, the light blonde is Kayley Hedges, the brunette is Emma Green, and the ring leader of them all, white haired and beautiful Lissana Strauss". Levy's voice was coloured with disgust as the name left her mouth. "Bitch?" Lucy asked. Levy grinned at that. "Bitch" she agreed.

"All cheerleaders, with Lissana as the head cheerleader of course" Levy continued. "As for the boys, the blue haired one with the tattoo is called Jellal Fernandes, the one with all the piercings is called Gajeel Redfox, the navy haired one without a shirt – he strips all the time, no one knows why - is called Gray Fullbuster, and the pink haired on is called Natsu Dragneel". Natsu…so that's what his name was. "All on Fairy Tail Basketball team, Natsu as captain of course"

"Practically every girl in the school has a crush on at least one of them" Levy finished. A sly grin crept onto Lucy's face. "Oh? You too then, if that blush on your face when you mentioned Gajeel is anything to go by". Levy went scarlet at that, and muttered something under her breath. "Not so loud" she hissed. Lucy giggled loudly, and Levy soon joined in. Soon they reached the canteen, and Levy pushed the sleek glass doors open.

The canteen was neat and clean. Students chattered and gossiped loudly at the many booths with white tables and blue leather seats scattered across the room. The walls were lined with large glass windows, giving the room an open feeling. "Levy!" Levy and Lucy both turned to see a girl with scarlet hair waving from a table near the front of the room. Levy grinned and dragged Lucy over with her. "Hi guys!" she chirped cheerfully. She slid into the seat opposite and wagged for Lucy to sit down beside her. Lucy quickly slid onto the blue leather beside her.

Across from them were two girls that Lucy recognised from her first class. The first was the blue haired girl who looked like she was going to faint because of Gray. The second was the beautiful red head who called them over. "Lucy Heartfilia, correct?" the red head asked. Lucy nodded. A smile spread across the red head's face. "Erza Scarlet. Student Council President" she added shaking Lucy's hand. "Pleasure to meet you" Lucy smiled. She turned to the blue haired girl, who was staring at her suspiciously through narrowed eyes.

"Are you Juvia's love rival?" she asked. Lucy frowned in confusion. Levy rolled her eyes. "This is Juvia Lockser. She has an unhealthy obsession with a certain Gray Fullbuster, and insists every other girl is a love rival. Just ignore it" she said. "Oh I see. Don't worry Juvia I have no interest in Gray" Lucy said. Juvia gave her one last suspicious look before smiling. "Juvia is pleased to meet you then, Lucy" she said. "She talks in third person, you'll get used to it" Levy whispered in Lucy's ear.

"So how do you like Fairy Tail so far, Lucy?" Erza asked. "So far I love it!" Lucy replied, grinning. They chatted some more about random stuff, before Juvia let out a squeak and her eyes started glowing. Lucy, Levy and Erza turned to see Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Jellal, Lissana, Kira, Kayley and Emma enter the canteen. All eyes shifted to them. Lissana and co. broke away and went back out, while Natsu and the boys made their way up a short flight of stairs to a single large booth on an upper level. After they sat down conversations picked up where they left off.

Lucy turned to the others with a raised eyebrow. "Lissana and the others don't believe in 'eating carbs or fat' so they normally go starve themselves in what they call 'dieting' and terrorize some poor children and spread rumours about who broke up with who" Levy commentated. "That table up there is reserved for the popular boys, aka Natsu etc." Erza finished. "They have a table reserved for them?" Lucy asked in disbelief. "Oh yeah. Their parents are filthy rich and provide most of the schools funding, so the four of them can normally get away with anything" Levy said.

"No surprises there" Lucy muttered. "Rich people get away with everything" she added. Levy nodded. "Natsu's dad owns some huge company. Dragneel Incorporated or something like that" Erza said. Lucy looked at both of them. Juvia was openly swooned over 'how handsome her beloved Gray was', but Lucy didn't miss the glances Levy was throwing in Gajeel's direction, or – more importantly – Erza's subtle peeks at Jellal.

"So Erza" she began. "What's up with you and Jellal?" Erza promptly went the colour of her hair and started babbling. Levy giggled. "She's got you there Erza. Erza totally has a crush on Jellal" Erza twiddled her thumbs and lowered her head. "Well I wouldn't let that one get away" Lucy said. "He's not half bad looking". Erza smiled and laughed along with her and Levy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lucy frowned, nibbled her lip and stared at the measly contents of her wardrobe with her hands on her hips. The rest of her day at school continued uneventfully. She exchanged numbers with Levy, told Levy her address, and Levy said she'd stop by at around a quarter to six to show Lucy where Mira's Café was. Levy would be here in five minutes, and Lucy was deliberating over what to wear.

She had barely any clothes. Apart from her uniform, she had a large baggy black jumper, an oversized white t-shirt she wore when sleeping, baggy grey trousers, black converse, pink flats and what she was wearing at the minute. She was wearing a tight pink top, short black skirt and black boots. Her hair was up in a side ponytail tied with a pink ribbon. This was what she would normally wear. The outfit showed off her slender legs, thin waist, and showed quite a bit of cleavage.

The problem was she would have to explain to Levy why she dressed up like a nerd when she actually looked like this. Lucy was planning on do everything she could to make some money so she could actually feed herself, pay for rent and buy some new clothes (as well as adding some to saving up for collage fees) and she knew she would get a ton more tips looking like this. So she would have to tell Levy, since Levy insisted on staying to be Lucy's first customer.

There was a short knock on the door. "Coming!" Lucy called. She grabbed her white leather jacket and pulled it on. Grabbing her black purse and her keys, she threw her purse onto her shoulder and made her way to the door. Levy and her where getting closer by the minute, and she felt like she would soon be calling her a best friend. She trusted Levy, and she would feel bad keeping it a secret anyway. Lucy took a deep breath, twisted the door handle and swung the door open.

Levy stood grinning. She wore an orange dress with white ribbons. Her grin fell and her mouth dropped in utter shock as she gaped at Lucy. Lucy would have found it comical if she wasn't terrified of what Levy would say. "L...LUCY!?" she stammered in shock. "Um…Hi?" Lucy said quietly, clutching her right arm nervously. Levy stood, mouth open, eyes bulging. Lucy stepped out and locked the door behind her. "Please just hear me out" she pleaded. "I'll explain on the way". Levy shut her mouth, shrugged and nodded.

•••

"…and that's why I dress like a nerd at school" Lucy finished **(don't worry, you shall find out in time).** She finished her story just as they reached Mira's Café. It was small but cosy and inviting. The glass windows revealed the white wallpapered room, containing cute white tables, booths with shiny red leather sofas and a sparkling white bar at the front. The Café was lit with soft golden light. Pictures and framed quotes written in curvy calligraphy covered the walls. A large sign hung above the doorway, with 'Mira's Café' written in curved white writing on a red background.

Lucy wrung her hands and looked down, waiting for Levy to start laughing at her, or to call her pathetic. Instead, she heard a soft "I understand". Lucy looked up in shock. Levy smiled softly. "I understand why you done it. And I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me Lu" she said. Levy quickly stepped forward and gave her a strong hug. Lucy sniffed, and hugged her back. "Thanks Levy" she said with a wide grin. "It feels brilliant to finally tell someone". "I'm here if you need someone to talk to, don't forget that Lu" Levy said.

"So you'll keep dressing up like a nerd?" Levy asked. Lucy nodded. "I think I'll stick with it for a while. Do you mind keeping it a secret for now? I'll tell Erza and Juvia soon". Levy nodded. "It's probably smart to keep it. You'll have all the boys in the school drooling at your feet if you walk in like that" she added with a cheeky grin. Lucy burst into fits of laughter. Levy soon joined her. They linked arms and walked into the Café. It was filled with joyful chattering and laughter. Waitresses manoeuvred the room. "I'll be over there" Levy said, gesturing at a booth by the window. "Make sure I'm your first customer!" she added as she skipped off.

Lucy made her way up to the bar. "Excuse me?" she asked one of the waitresses. "Is Mirajane here?" The waitress nodded. "Through that door" she said pointing to a wooden door at the back. Lucy thanked her and made her way over. She twisted the golden door knob and peeked cautiously around the frame. She found what looked like a dressing room inside. Tall metal lockers lined the small room and mahogany benches stood down the centre. Looking closely, she could see names written in neat curvy writing stuck to the top of each locker.

"Mira?" she called out nervously. "Just a minute!" The muffled voice floated from the open storeroom tucked in the back. Lucy slipped inside, quickly rubbing the sweat that was gathering on her palms off on her skirt. Mira poked her head around the door. "Lucy! So glad you could make it-" She stopped mid-sentence and her mouth formed a small O shape in surprise. "I prefer dressing …differently when I'm at school" Lucy hurriedly explained. "It's kinda complicated. Does it bother you?"

Mira shocked expression quickly morphed back into her usual cheeriness. "Of course not! It's your business how you want to dress, I won't pry. It's a pleasure to have you on-board Lucy". Mira stepped over and comically saluted. Giggling Lucy saluted back. "Ok!" Mira clapped her hands in excitement. "Let's find you a uniform". She turned and hurried back into the storeroom. A few minutes later she emerged carrying a bundle of black and white cloth in her arms.

"Here. This should fit. Get changed and come outside. I'll be at the bar. I'll brief you on your duties when you're ready" "Thanks Mira!" Lucy called after her. She quickly changed and observed her appearance in the mirror fitted on one wall. The outfit was rather stylish. It had a black skirt covered with a white apron, white leggings that ended just below the knee and black shoes with a small heel. The top had a white neck, and the waist was covered with black material. It did show off a fair amount of cleavage. It came with two white and black wrist cuffs.

Lucy tied her hair up in a plaited bun with a black ribbon. She gave herself a quick check, stored her clothes and bag in the locker Mira pointed out before (which now had her name in writing at the top) and skipped out the door. The Café was still pretty quiet. Lucy started towards Mira when she saw a flash of Scarlet. She snapped her head around to see both Erza and Juvia taking seats beside Levy. Levy shot her a 'what do I do?' glance. Lucy bit her lip and made a 'stay there' motion with her hand. She quickly hurried to Mira.

Mira explained waitress duties, pay, hours and everything else. Lucy nodded and confirmed that it was all fine with her. With a smile, Mira gestured to Levy's table and handed her a pad and pen. Lucy turned, sucked in a breath, and made her way over. "Hey guys" she said quietly. Erza and Juvia looked up and quickly adorned shocked expressions. Levy shot her an apologetic look. Lucy smiled softly and shook her head slightly, hoping Levy got the message 'it's not your fault'. "Sorry guys…please don't be mad at me. I'd better take your orders, Levy can explain" she said, her eyes pleading as she raised her pad.

Erza nodded. "I'll have strawberry cake please" she said, her eyes shining at the thought. "Juvia will have a chocolate milkshake". Lucy turned to Levy. "Um…a strawberry milkshake please". Lucy nodded and backed away back to the bar. A few minutes later she came back with the orders. She slid them silently onto the table and tucked the tray under her arm. "Levy explained everything Lucy. We get why you dress like that" Erza said.

"Are you mad at me?" Lucy asked nervously. Erza shook her head and laughed. "Of course not! You do what you want to do Lucy. We'll be your friends no matter what". Lucy sniffed in happiness. "You guys are the best" she said, leaning forward and trapping them all in a group hug. She'd only known them for a day but she felt like they'd been her friends her whole life.

Lucy pulled back with a bright grin. "That'll be 100 jewels please" Erza handed her the money, and a generous tip. "Thanks guys! I'll see you later!" she grinned. The three of them waved merrily at her. Lucy couldn't wipe the silly grin off her face for the whole night. She went to bed still grinning like a maniac. She had fell in love with Magnolia and Fairy Tail already.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lucy whistled happily as she skipped over to her locker. It was a few days after she first arrived. Her and Levy had, as expected, became best friends, and Erza and Juvia weren't far behind. Of course, the yells of 'nerd' and 'geek' followed her for a while. Well, until it was common knowledge that she was friends with Erza Scarlet. After Erza violently threatened that she would impale them all (and Lucy learnt that you _do not_ make Erza Scarlet angry) everyone stopped immediately. Well…almost everyone.

"Oh look! The nerd's here!" Lucy hissed under her breath. Lissana pranced over flicking her white hair over one shoulder. Her minions (as in Kira, Kayley and Emma) followed close behind. "Hey ugly, is it just me or have you got fatter?" she sneered, picking at her manicure. Her minions chortled in laughter behind her. Lissana had been a god damn pain in the ass since she got there. Despite Erza's threats she continued to antagonize Lucy with every opportunity she got.

Lucy understood Erza didn't want to hurt the richest and most popular girl in the school. Lissana would probably tell her parents some lie, and Lissana's parents were rich and powerful people. It would be best if they didn't get involved. Lucy knew that was what stopped her from doing anything. She told Erza it was fine and she could handle it. Lucy shut her locker door, ignored Lissana and made her way towards the Library.

Lissana followed. Lucy knew that she would have tried to trip her (it wouldn't be the first time. Lucy had managed to avoid falling flat on her face so far) if it wasn't for the fact Natsu Dragneel chose that moment to walk by. Lissana forgot about Lucy in an instant, taking to her favourite hobby with gusto – Flirting with Natsu. Lucy took that opening to slip away, quietly making her way up the stairs. She felt Natsu's eyes burning at her back as she did.

•••

Lucy sat beside Levy on the bottom bench of the stands. They were _supposed_ to be doing PE, but Lissana had decided that it would be a brilliant time for cheerleading practise. Their teacher didn't argue. So, Lucy and Levy sat chatting, wearing the Fairy Tail PE kit – light blue shorts, light blue shirt bordered with white, with the Fairy Tail insignia in white on the left breast (Lucy's were all extra baggy of course) – and watching as the cheerleading squads irritatingly high pitched voices echoed through the large hall.

Some of the boys – who were having their class in the adjacent hall – were drifting in and out, stopping to observe the cheerleaders. Lucy puffed out a bored breath. "I'm going to go get a drink" she said. Levy smiled in reply. Lucy made her way across the hall to the water fountain on the opposite side. She bent and took two long slurps. The refreshingly cold liquid trickled down her throat.

She wiped her mouth quickly, and turned to observe the flurry of motion. She caught a yell of "Heads up" and out of the corner of her eye spotted a basketball hurtling towards her. Now, before this scene continues, there's something you should know. Lucy could have easily dodged that basketball. Before she died, her mother made her go to self-defence lessons ever since she was little. She hadn't gone in years, but she practised herself so her skills were still sharp.

Her arms and legs appeared slender and weak, but she was a lot stronger than she looked. The lessons also improved her agility, flexibility and speed (that's how she could easily bypass Lissana's attempts to trip her). So yes, she could have avoided that speeding basketball. But nerds don't dodge basketballs. They're nowhere near fast enough. They curl up and get a bruise that doesn't go away for a week. So that's what Lucy did. She raised her arms over her face, turned away and waited for the blow to come. But it never did.

Instead, she felt a rustle at her side, and a warm body brushed against her arm. She peeked up, to see Natsu standing beside her. He easily caught the ball with one strong had and threw it in the other direction. "Watch where you're throwing that thing!" he yelled. Then he turned to Lucy. Her heart thumped loudly. He was also wearing a similar PE kit. He must have been playing basketball or something, because a fine sheen of sweat clung to his tan skin.

His shirt moulded to that delicious torso of his, and Lucy had to forcefully tear her eyes away. His hair was slightly damp, and his dark eyes glittered mysteriously. "Are you ok?" he asked. Lucy really liked his voice. She nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah thanks" she said. He grinned back, and turned to go talk to the other boys. Lucy watched him go, and Levy suddenly appeared at her side. "OMG! Natsu Dragneel talked to you!" she squealed. Lucy shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal" she said. Levy's mouth dropped. "Not that big of a deal! He's the most popular guy in the school! And he's smoking hot!"

"Oh Levy! I thought you were infatuated with Gajeel?" Lucy giggled, waggling her eyebrows. Levy flushed and shrugged. "I'm just stating the obvious". Lucy laughed and hooked her arm through Levy's. "Come on, let's go get changed". As they walked out, Lucy did allow a small smirk to crawl onto her face, once she saw Lissana's furious scowl. This was soon followed by Lissana losing balance and toppling off the top of the human pyramid formation they were practising. Lucy and Levy both stifled their hysterical giggles as the exited the hall.

•••

Lucy lay on her back on her bed. A book rested in her hands above her. Lucy relaxed in the peaceful quiet, the only sound being the faint rustle as she turned a page. The silence was shattered as Lucy's phone vibrated loudly beside her. She curiously slid her bookmark into the page she was at and set it gently on her bedside table. She reached an arm lazily over and plucked up the pink phone. _(Italics is texting)_

 _Levy: Hey Lu! Want to come with me, Erza and Juvia to Magnolia Mall?_ _Lucy: Meet outside Mira's in 20 mins? Levy: See u there!_

Lucy heaved herself up from the comfortable position she had on her bed, grabbed her white jacket, purse and headed out the door.

20 minutes later, she found Levy, Erza and Juvia waiting outside Mira's Café. She waved merrily as she approached them. "Ready to go?" Levy asked. "Can't wait!" Lucy replied with a grin. The four girls manoeuvred their way through the town and were soon standing outside the majestic Magnolia Mall. Chattering away they made their way inside.

•••

Joyous laughter filled the air as the four girls slipped inside a French Café. Lucy couldn't remember ever having as much fun when she used to go to the mall with her old friends as she did today. She didn't have the money to buy anything, but they had great fun trying stuff on, teasing each other and trying on silly hats and glasses (Lucy now had a picture of the four of them making silly faces while wearing huge glasses and ridiculous hats saved as the lock screen on her phone)

"You guys go ahead I have to use the bathroom. Get me a strawberry milkshake, and save me a seat!" Lucy called as she broke away. "Ok!" Levy called back. Lucy grinned as she made her way to the bathroom. A few minutes later she exited, and walked straight into someone. "Sor-" Lucy began, but her words caught in her throat when she saw who it was. Lissana.

Lissana was wearing thick make-up and designer clothes, which a stylish handbag swinging from one arm. She looked up at Lucy. _Shit! There goes the nerd disguise! Lissana will tell the whole school by Monday!_ **(Btw it's Friday)** _What the hell should I do now_ \- "Oh sorry!" Lissana said politely. Lucy gaped at her in shock. _What!? Lissana mustn't have recognised her!_ "Oh no, it was my fault" Lucy said quickly, ducking her head.

Lissana smiled, and then asked "You wouldn't have seen a guy with pink hair around here would you?" "Nope, sorry" Lucy said with a polite smile. "Oh." Lissana's politeness dropped. She crinkled her nose and walked away. Lucy was pretty sure she muttered _'useless nobody'_ under her breath. And there she was thinking Lissana might have had a change of heart. Ah well.

Lucy walked quickly back to the diner, only to almost run into another person. She looked up and realised it was Natsu. He was entering the Café with the Gray, Gajeel and Jellal. Lucy choked and dived around a corner before he saw her. She pressed herself against the wall – why was she hiding from Natsu again? - and waited until he'd gone before slipping away to join Levy, Erza and Juvia.

Natsu plopped down on the seat next to Gray and let out a sigh of relief. Lissana had been stalking him all day. It took forever to finally lose her. He ran a hand through his hair and sucked in a deep breath. "That woman has a problem" Gray commented from beside him. Natsu nodded in agreement. "I know how you feel flame brain. I have a stalker myself". Natsu snorted and decided to let the flame brain insult slide for now. "Yeah, but you actually like your stalker" he said. Gray growled slightly and muttered "Do not".

He rolled his eyes – because he knew for a fact that Gray so liked that blue haired girl – and looked at Gajeel and Jellal. They were both staring at something behind him. He turned to see the famous Erza Scarlet sitting next to Levy McGarden. He couldn't see who was sitting opposite them. Well that explained it. "You two should really grow some balls and ask them out already" he said.

"What did you say about me Salamander!?" Gajeel instantly roared. Jellal remained silent. "You heard me metal head" Natsu replied. "You have a crush on that short girl, and you" he said turning to Jellal, "have a death wish, as you foolishly have decided to have a crush on the infamous Erza Scarlet" Both boys flushed and started to deny it. Natsu smirked, slumped in his chair, closed his eyes and let the noise wash over him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lucy increased her speed and she lightly jogged up to Levy. They had a school trip to Magnolia National History Museum today, so were allowed to wear their own clothes. As she was still disguised as a nerd, Lucy was wearing her scruffy black converse, baggy grey trousers and baggy plain black jumper. Unfortunately, since the only other t-shirt she owned was the oversized one she wore as pyjamas, she had to wear her tight pink top. So she better hope it didn't get too warm.

Levy grinned at her as she approached. They made their way towards the front of the school where the rest of their class was gathered at the bottom of the steps. The sound of quiet chattering thrummed in the air as Lucy and Levy slipped through the throng of people to stand beside Erza and Juvia. Natsu, Gray, Gajeel and Jellal were at the front of the crowd, with Lissana flirting shamelessly with Natsu, of course.

The white and blue coach pulled up, their teacher, Mr Conbolt, reminded them to be on their best behaviour etc. and they all excitedly got on. Lucy and Levy were positioned beside each other on the spotless black cloth seats. Erza and Juvia were behind them. Lucy popped in her earphones and let the music swirl in her mind as they drove. She could feel the steady vibrations of the engine on the bottom of her feet. The city swept past in a wash of colour, and before long they arrived. Lucy stared up at the magnificent stone building in slight awe. She'd heard about Magnolia's famous museum, and she'd always wanted to visit it.

They climbed up the stone steps to the glass doors of the front entrance. The class whispered quietly to each other as they waited in the elegant foyer. The red carpet was plush underneath their feet, and the black tiles were polished to perfection. A few minutes later Mr Conbolt returned. He handed out guides to the museum. "Ok everyone, I've done this tour before so I'll be guiding you. Stick close and don't be afraid to ask questions"

•••

Halfway through the tour they stopped by the toilets. All the other girls had come and went, so it was just Lucy, Levy and Lissana left in the toilets. Lucy had set her bag down while she was using the toilet. Unbeknownst to her, Lissana had kicked it into the small storage closet. Lucy caught sight of its edge as she was looking for it. "I found it Levy, you go on ahead" she said slipping into the closet. "Ok" Levy called and left the room. Lissana finished applying what must have been her twentieth layer of bright pink lipstick. Lucy bent and snatched up her bag. She turned to leave, just as the door slammed closed in her face.

Lucy rushed forward, frantically tugging on the handle but to no avail. It was locked from the outside. She heard Lissana cackle, and the sound of a door slamming. Lucy angrily kicked the door. How could she be so stupid and let Levy leave her alone with Lissana? She hammered loudly on the door, yelling at the top of her lungs, praying that someone would hear.

5 minutes later, Natsu burst out of the adjacent boys toilets. He snarled in anger, seeing the class had left long ago. Damn Gray! Locking him in a bloody storage closest! He angrily started down the hall but his sharp ears caught muffled screams. Confused, he turned and found them coming from the girl's toilets.

He slipped inside and thankfully no one was there. There was loud screams and banging coming from the storage closet. Looks like he wasn't the only one. Rushing over, he quickly unlocked the door and opened it. He found a disgruntled Lucy inside. Again, he felt that strange attraction to her. He frowned. What the hell was she doing in a storage closet?

Lucy blinked at Natsu, shocked someone was actually there to hear her. Her god forsaken eyes instantly swept down to survey his black converse, jeans, red t-shirt paired with a leather jacket. He just had to look god damn mouth-watering all the time didn't he? "Thanks" she said. "But what are you doing here?" He shrugged. "Gray locked me in a storage closet". A small smile appeared at his lips. "You?" "Lissana" she said bitterly. Natsu laughed shortly. "Sounds like her".

Lucy nodded in agreement. "We should probably find out where everyone else went" she said. Natsu moved to let her walk past then followed. They started down the long hall, footsteps echoing in the silence. "Does Gray pull pranks on you often?" Lucy asked. "All the time" Natsu replied. "It gets really annoying after a while" Lucy laughed at that. Natsu couldn't help the grin that spread across his face once he heard her laugh. It was a beautiful sound.

They turned and started down the stairs at the end of the hall. Lucy was on the second last step when she suddenly slipped. She let out a startled yelp and tumbled down the steps. Natsu dived to catch her and ended up falling to. While she fell, the corner of her jumper caught on the end of the stairs handrail. Since it was so big, it slipped straight off. Natsu fell painfully on his back, and Lucy landed on top of him. Her glasses fell and clattered loudly across the floor.

Natsu groaned and rubbed his head. Lucy sat up wincing and massaging her scalp. She was sitting in Natsu's lap, one hand on his exposed chest, where his t-shirt slid up. Taking her hand away from her head, Lucy looked down to see a shocked Natsu staring at her. She realized where her hand was. "Sorry!" she yelped, jerking back. She got off his lap and slid onto the floor beside him.

Natsu sat up but the shocked look remained on his face. Lucy frowned. "What? Are you hurt?" A strangled noise rose out of Natsu's mouth. Lucy realized his eyes were fixed on her chest. She looked down, and realized her jumper was gone, revealing her thin waist and large chest. "Shit!" she screeched. She leapt off the floor and grabbed her jumper, hurriedly dragging it back on. She shot across the room and picked up her fallen glasses, pushing them back up her nose.

Natsu managed to regain his voice. "WHAT!?" he yelled, shocked. _Holy shit! Lucy was gorgeous! Why on earth would you hide that kind of figure?_ He didn't think he'd ever seen *ehem* _assets_ as big as hers. "You…You…" he stammered. "Um…" Lucy twisted her hands nervously. _What was she going to do now!?_ "You're beautiful". Lucy looked up in shock. Did Natsu really just say that?

"I mean…WOW!" he continued. "You don't really need those glasses, do you?" Lucy shook her head slowly. "Why?" Lucy looked up. "Why go through all that shit they give you when you're that…well you know" Natsu asked. He ran a hand through his hair. Then Lucy could hear muffled voices. Coming towards them. She made up her mind in a split second. She stepped up to Natsu and asked "Do you know where Mira's Café is?"

Natsu nodded hesitantly. "If you really want to know then meet me there at 7 O'clock tonight. I'll explain then" she hissed. Natsu nodded. Lucy turned and sat down on the first step. She slid her hands under her trousers to clutch her ankle. "Pretend I twisted my ankle" she whispered. Natsu decided it was best to go along with it. He kneeled down in front of her as Mr Conbolt and the rest of the class came around the corner.

"Mr Dragneel! Miss Heartfilia! There you two are! What happened?" "It was my fault sir" Lucy started quickly. "I twisted my ankle. Natsu stayed back to help me" "Are you alright Miss Heartfilia?" Lucy smiled and stood up. "I'm fine now, thank you". "Very well. Come along you two, you're lucky you haven't missed much" Lucy hurried to Levy and Natsu walked over to Gray.

"Where were you?" Levy hissed. "I was worried sick! And what were you doing with Natsu?" "It doesn't matter" Lucy hissed back. "What were you up to bro?" Gray asked Natsu when he re-joined them. "What were you doing with Heartfilia?" "Nothing" Natsu replied. "Let's go". The class continued down the hall for the rest of the tour.

•••

Natsu slipped through the door to Mira's Café. He sat down at his normal booth beside the window (he was a regular. He came every Saturday morning). It would be seven soon. He'd been dying to know why Lucy hid herself behind nerdy clothes all day. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. A polite cough from beside him got him to flick his eyes up. His heart kicked in his chest. Standing in front of him was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen before in his life. He'd recognise that hair and those eyes anywhere. "Lucy!?"

She smiled at him. Natsu flicked his eyes up and down her figure. He knew she'd be hot, but WOW. He gulped. "Can I take your order?" Lucy asked. Natsu frowned in confusion. "Uh…Lucy-" "I know" she interrupted. "My shift ends in a few minutes. What do you want until then" "Um…I'll take a coffee" he mumbled. "Coming right up!" Lucy said cheerily.

Natsu waited and Lucy was back in a minute with a steaming cup of coffee. He thanked her and paid her (and gave an incredibly large tip). Lucy disappeared into the back room. Natsu sipped slowly at his coffee – which was delicious - as the sun set outside. The light faded and darkness emerged in its wake. Lucy approached and slipped into the red leather seat opposite him. She'd changed into her top and skirt. Lucy set her jacket and her bag beside her. Her hands curled slowly around the steaming beverage she'd brought with her.

They sat in silence for a while. Lucy cleared her throat softly and spoke up. "So…You actually want to know" she said quietly. Natsu nodded. Lucy took a deep breath. If she told him, he'd be the first guy she'd told. And her trust in the opposite gender had been shaken…But something about Natsu made her believe she could trust him.

"Well…then I better start at the beginning…" she looked up and Natsu gave her an encouraging smile. She found herself smiling back. "Well, before I moved to Magnolia and came to Fairy Tail, I used to go to Sabertooth Academy. I was really popular, you know friends with the popular rich girls…wanted by the popular guys…I used to be rich…but then…"

"When I was 10 years old, my mother died…I'd loved her so much, so I didn't take it very well…I cried for months…When I finally got back on my feet…my dad had…changed…" Lucy clenched her hands together. "He became cold and heartless…he used to be such a loving father, but my Mom's death changed him. He started ignoring me…yelling at me for no reason…he just completely shut me out…"

"I think it's because I reminded him of Mom. Everyone always said I looked so much like her. I think he looked at me, and all he could see was her…I just got on with my life. I figured I still had my friends, so I'd be fine. But then…my Dad had a heart attack when I was 15 years old. He died…They didn't know what to do with the company, so they decided to wait until I was 17 then I could decide what I wanted to do with it, since I was the only Heartfilia left. For the time being I was moved into a foster home."

"It was a week before I got back to school. My friends hadn't contacted me at all the whole time. All my fancy clothes were at the house – I never liked them anyway – so I wore the old scruffy clothes the foster home gave me. I just threw my hair into a quick ponytail and didn't bother with make-up. I'd only ever used some mascara and eye shadow, so everyone always thought I was wearing tonnes of make-up but I actually wasn't. But when I got there -"

 _Flashback_

" _Hi guys". A bedraggled, scruffy Lucy stood smiling faintly as Minerva, and the popular girls turned to look at her. Minerva took one look at her and burst into hysterical laughter. Lucy frowned in confusion. "OMG" Minerva gasped. "Look the state of you! What makes you think you can talk to me ugly?" Lucy's mouth dropped in shock. "Minerva…? What -" "I thought I told you not to talk to me, you disgusting little bitch!" Minerva hissed. The girls behind her laughed. "Look at the slut, she's not even rich anymore" Whispers filled the hallway. Lucy stood with tears gathering in her eyes._

" _Let's get one thing straight, you whore" Minerva said, giving Lucy a hard poke in the chest. "Filth like you doesn't get to look at me. Stay the hell away from all of us. No one likes you bitch. Just get lost, go join your stupid parents for all I care!" Minerva shoved her – hard. Lucy collided painfully with the hard metal locker and slid to the floor. Minerva laughed and walked past. The rest of Lucy's 'friends' sneered and insulted her as they walked past. Everyone in the corridor started to laugh at her. Lucy clutched her arm as tears streamed down her face. She got up and ran away, sobbing as the mocking laughs echoed in her ears._

 _End Flashback_

"That's horrible" Natsu rasped. How could anyone be that cruel? He felt like running to Sabertooth and burning the whole place to the ground. Lucy's knuckles turned as white as the china cup she was gripping. "After that day, I realized they never cared about me. They only cared about how I looked and how rich I was" she said, her voice catching.

Without really thinking, Natsu reached across the table and grabbed her hand. Tingles raced through both of their bodies. Natsu held her hand gently, stroking the smooth skin on the surface comfortingly. Lucy squeezed his hand in thanks. "If you don't want to continue, you don't have t -" "No" Lucy said. "I want to. After that, I became the most unpopular person in the whole school. Everyone hated me, teased me, and insulted me."

"One day, not long before my 17th Birthday, I was thinking about what I was going to do with my life and the most popular boy in the school came up to me. He said he still liked me, and asked if I'd like to go on a date with him. I was pretty desperate by this point, so I happily agreed. I was on my way home when I found him having a conversation with his friends"

"They asked him why he was bothering with trash like me. He said that I still had one hell of a body, and he knew I was a virgin. He said he was just going to get in my pants after the date then he didn't care what happened to me. So I went up, slapped him in the face and told him to go f**k himself. Once my 17th Birthday came, I'd made up my mind"

"I sold the company and everything I owned that was of value. I was old enough to leave foster care, so I used the money to move here, get an apartment and get into Fairy Tail. Once I was admitted in, I decided to dress like a nerd, because I was terrified of being popular again…and I figured that if I looked like an ugly nerd, no one would gain anything from being friends with me, so only someone who wanted to be friends with just plain ol' me, would bother to try"

"Only someone who cared about me would make that effort" Lucy smiled as she thought of Levy, Erza and Juvia, who were so nice to her, even though she looked like a nerd. "It also meant that only guys who cared about dating me as me, would bother to ask me out" she said. Natsu's heart did a double take. "Has anyone asked you out?" he asked. Lucy snorted. "No" Natsu sighed in relief.

 _Wait, why the hell am I so worried?_ Natsu thought. "So that's it" Lucy said. "An Unfortunate Series of Events, by Lucy Heartfilia" she said with a small laugh. Natsu squeezed her hand. "That must have been tough" he said softly. He held his arms open and gave her a 'why not?' look. Lucy grinned, stood up, slid over to his side and allowed him to wrap his arms around her.

Lucy wrapped her own arms around Natsu's torso, burying her head in his chest. Natsu warm muscular arms held her firmly against him. He rested his chin against her head. Her hair smelt amazing. Lucy pulled back and smiled at him. "Thanks. It feels good to hug it out". "My Mom says, sometimes a hug is all you need to make you feel better!" Natsu said. Lucy smiled softly. "Thanks for telling me Luce. It mustn't have been easy for you, and it wasn't my place to pry". "No it was my choice to tell you. I've got a feeling I can trust you. Would you mind not telling anyone? Levy, Erza and Juvia already know". "You can trust me Luce. I promise I'll keep it a secret" he said. "Thank you" Lucy smiled.

Lucy's eyes crinkled and she stifled a yawn with one hand. "It's getting late. I should probably head home". "I'll walk you" Natsu said, standing up. "That's very kind but you don't have t -" "Yeah but I want to" Natsu said. "I can't let you walk home by yourself at this time of night" Lucy smiled. "Very well then"

She pulled on her white jacket and grabbed her bag. Natsu grabbed his own leather jacket and they exited the café. The cool night air caught Lucy by surprise. She quickly wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. The ends of her hair curled like little snakes in the night breeze. Darkness had fallen, and the night was calm and peaceful.

Natsu noticed the shiver. "Cold?" "Just a little chilly" Lucy replied but her infernal teeth clattered noisily together as she spoke. Natsu shrugged of his thick leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Lucy looked at him in shock. "Natsu I couldn't -" "Relax Luce. I have a weirdly high body temperature, I'll be fine". "Are you sure?" she asked. Natsu nodded. Lucy pulled the jacket tightly around her. It was still warm from Natsu's body heat. She happily snuggled further in. It smelt like Natsu.

Natsu smiled at that, finding Lucy's expression adorable. They walked to her house, chatting about random stuff and got to know each other (turns out they had a lot in common). Lucy suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes! Do you know your friend Gajeel?" "Metal head?" Natsu said scrunching his nose. "Yeah, what about him?" "He asked Levy out" Lucy sang happily.

"Really!?" Natsu exclaimed. "Yup" Lucy grinned happily. "While we were gone on the school trip. She almost had a heart attack telling me. We had to raid the shops earlier to find her something to wear. I was helping her get ready before I went to work at Mira's". Natsu grinned. "About damn time" he said. "He's had a crush on her for God knows how long". "Really! Levy's had a crush on him for a while too, as far as I can gather".

"They're a strange match, but I think it'll work" Natsu said. "That's what I said!" Lucy laughed. "Oh looks like we're here". They'd arrived at Lucy's apartment. "You live here!? Really?" Natsu asked. "Yes" Lucy replied, confused. "This is one of my Dads places. He must be your landlord" Lucy's eyes snapped wide in realization. "Of course!" Natsu grinned. "I live just round the corner" he said, pointing.

"Who knew we're practically neighbours!" Natsu grinned. "So can we be friends Luce? I'd like to hang out more". Lucy smiled brightly. "I'd like that too." She handed him his jacket. "Thanks. Goodnight Natsu, I'll see you at school!" Lucy called waving as she opened the door. "Night Luce!" Natsu replied, waving before turning and making his way to his own house, the huge goofy grin never leaving his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" Natsu called as he shut the door behind him. He slung his red bag over on shoulder as he walked down the street, towards Lucy's apartment. He grinned evilly as he approached, thinking of what the look on her face would be when he screamed in her ear and woke her up, since he was pretty sure she'd be asleep as it was pretty early (he convinced himself that he was he did not actually just want to see how cute she looked when she was sleeping, and so he could stare at her like a creepy stalker without her noticing…Cause that was TOTALLY NOT the reason!)

He bypassed her front door and went straight to the window (so much more fun). He quietly slid it open and crept inside. Frowning, he noticed her bed was empty and neatly made. "Luce?" he called out. A loud bang from the kitchen told him all he needed. Grinning, he burst through the door. Lucy was hopping around on one leg, clutching her foot. She was already dressed in her uniform. She gingerly put her foot down, mumbling a stream of colourful curses.

"Natsu? What are you doing here? And how'd you get in?" Natsu pointed behind him. "Window" he said. "And I go to school at this time, so I thought I'd see if you were up". "Really?" Lucy asked. "School doesn't start for another hour. I didn't think you were a morning person". "Well you're up. And I'm only a morning person on weekdays" he added. Lucy shrugged. She turned back to the stove. "The window? Can't you use the door like a normal person?"

"That takes away the fun!" Natsu grinned. He dropped his bag by the table and stood beside her. Lucy was currently frying bacon. Natsu sniffed in the delightful aroma as a sizzling sound filled the sir. "That smells awesome" he moaned. Turning to Lucy, he donned the most adorable puppy eyes she'd ever seen, complete with small whimpers. Lucy giggled. "Fine" she said, popping more bacon into the pan. She couldn't resist those eyes.

"YAY!" Natsu yelled. He wrapped one muscular arm around her neck and pulled her into a hug. "You're the best Luce!" "I know" Lucy grinned, blushing. Before long two delicious looking bacon sandwiches sat in front of them. Natsu guzzled his down in seconds. He hummed in joy as the delicious taste flooded his mouth. "You have to cook for me more Luce. You're an incredible cook". "They're only bacon sandwiches" Lucy laughed. She cleared the table, grabbed her satchel and slipped on her glasses.

The two of them set of towards Fairy Tail Academy. "So what has you up so early?" Natsu asked. "I prefer to get there early. I usually go to the library and read, or rest until school starts. It's really peaceful in the mornings, and the library's always warm. What about you? What has you up so early on weekdays?" "The fangirls" Natsu said gagging. "Once, I came in at the time Gray and everyone comes in and I got attacked. I think they were waiting at the gates for me. Lost half a shirt over it. So I come in early, before them all and just hang about. You also get better parking spaces if you're early"

"Must be annoying, having so many girls throwing themselves at you" Lucy mused. "Someone gets it!" he exclaimed in glee. "Everyone always says 'it must be great having a fan club' but it's bloody annoying! I mean come on, I know I'm amazing and hot as hell, there's no need to assault me every 5 seconds!" Natsu said with a charming and cheeky grin. Lucy snorted. Natsu gasped, held his heart and pouted. "That's hurtful Lucy! Just because you're blind!" Lucy huffed and folded her arms across her chest.

"So you are saying I'm not hot?" he asked. Lucy smacked him on the arm. "I didn't say that". Natsu's grin grew wider, and he shifted closer to her. "So you do think I'm hot" he smirked. Lucy muttered something under her breath. "What was that?" Natsu asked, leaning closer. "What I think is none of your concern" she said. "You _so_ think I'm hot" Natsu chuckled, while his heart danced around his chest at the thought of Lucy finding him hot. Lucy huffed again. Natsu started chuckling, and Lucy couldn't help but join in. He was too damn adorable for his own good.

•••

Lucy entered the canteen, her eyes quickly scanning for the blue hair of her friend. She and Natsu relaxed in the library for most of the morning. Lucy had already claimed the hidden comfy booth at the back. She was the only person who was in the library in the mornings. After realizing that no students actually were there in the mornings, the librarian usually had a nap or something inside the little storage room. Either way, the librarian decided she could trust Lucy and left her be. So Natsu and her were alone.

They decided to rest, and just lay down beside each other (both were elated with being so close) and whispered questions. Lucy now knew much more about Natsu, and he knew much more about Lucy. He even gave her his phone number, which had a contact photo of them both making silly faces (he insisted on taking it, so Lucy ditched her glasses for it.). He took a similar one on his phone and added it as a contact photo to her phone number, which she gave him. Now, back to the present.

Upon not finding her bookworm friend Lucy frowned and bit her lip. _Where was she?_ Her question was answered seconds later when a flying Levy jumped her from behind. "Lu!" she squealed happily. "Levy! You gave me a heart attack!" Lucy gasped. Levy grinned and started jumping up and down in excitement. "Guess what?" she squeaked. "What?" Lucy asked. "Gajeel asked me to come sit with him at lunch!"

Lucy's eyes widened. "You mean up there?" she said, referring to the popular boys table. Levy nodded, her cheeks glowing. Lucy couldn't believe how happy her friend was. She'd been telling her about how wonderful her date was this morning. Lucy was incredibly happy for her friend. "Well come on! Let's go!" Levy said, pulling Lucy along with her. "Wait what!? Me too?" Lucy stammered. "Well I'm not going up there alone, and I'm not sitting anywhere without you. I already told Erza and Juvia they could come up. Gajeel said it would be fine".

Lucy allowed Levy to drag her up to the table. Natsu and Gray were sitting beside each other on one side, and Gajeel was sitting beside Jellal on the other. All four looked up in interest with their approach. Natsu's smile was blinding once he say her, but he kept his mouth shut. No one else knew that Lucy and him were close (and though they'd only knew each other for about a day they already considered themselves as being very close)

Levy instantly sat down beside Gajeel, and Lucy pretended to think of where to sit, before sliding in beside Natsu (like she already knew she would). Gajeel gave Levy a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back to his lunch. "Hey Luce" Natsu breathed softly in her ear. "Hey yourself" she breathed quietly back. Natsu's grin grew bigger, and he lightly bumped her side with his own.

"Oh yeah, you guys this is Lucy" Levy introduced, and Lucy remembered that they hadn't met her yet. "Hi!" she greeted, raising a hand. Gajeel grunted in response, Jellal offered a "Nice to meet you" and Gray said "How's it goin?" Erza and Juvia appeared at that moment. Juvia instantly shot over to hug an alarmed Gray's arm, leaving Erza to sit beside Jellal, a faint blush on her cheeks. Lucy giggled softly.

Levy introduced them both, and they all got to chatting with their respect male partners (well, more like Juvia rambled on about 'her handsome beloved Gray' and Gray just stared at her). Erza and Jellal were getting along well, and it sounded like they were having a conversation about fighting techniques. Lucy reached down to pull out her lunch. She made noodles for diner last night, and accidentally made far too much, so she took the extra in for her lunch.

There was still a large amount of noodles though. She brought extra chopsticks so she could share with Levy, but Levy looked entranced with the Spaghetti Bolognese she was sharing with Gajeel **(cliché I know.)** Lucy set the noodles on the table, and Natsu was leaning over instantly. He sniffed and almost started drooling over the table. "I think you want to kill me Luce" he whined. He hadn't got lunch yet, and now Lucy was waving delicious noodles under his nose.

"Well it is a bit much for just me" she said. Lucy extended the extra chopsticks. Natsu blinked once then grinned widely. "Ok, you're my best friend from now on!" he exclaimed, giving Lucy a one armed hug. Everyone turned at hid little outburst. "No! Lucy's my best friend!" Levy complained instantly. Natsu scowled and pulled Lucy closer. "No! Lucy likes me way better!" he said, childishly sticking out his tongue at Levy. Erza, Jellal, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel and Lucy sweat dropped.

Levy huffed and opened her mouth to argue, but Lucy intervened. "How about Levy's my best girlfriend and Natsu's my best guy friend?" she offered. Natsu and Levy shrugged and went back to eating. "But I'm your bestest best best friend, right Luce?" Natsu whispered in her ear. Lucy chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. The two of them dug in to the amazing noodles. A thought crossed Lucy's mind as they shared noodles. "Won't your girlfriend be upset?" she wondered out loud.

Natsu froze and turned to Lucy in confusion. "You know, Lissana" Lucy quickly explained, as a twinge of envy shot through her. "Won't she be upset that you're friends with the nerd? Or that there are now girls at your table?" Natsu snorted in amusement. "Lissana's not my girlfriend! I don't have one. Where'd you get that idea from?" Lucy ignored the relief she instantly felt and said "Well she sure acts like it".

Natsu glowered. "You're right there. She seems to _think_ she's my girlfriend. I've told her I'm not interested, but she won't leave me alone. I agreed to go on a date with her once to get her of my case". He growled in exasperation. "I almost jumped out a window. It was _horrible_. I told her after that I was sorry but I didn't want to date her but she _still_ wouldn't leave me alone. She's just so bloody annoying".

Lucy smiled, and said "Agreed". Natsu smiled back. He looked up and his face fell. "Speak of the devil" he muttered angrily. Said devil was sashaying up the steps, her white hair bouncing. All four boys simultaneously groaned. "Natsu!" she cooed, flinging her arms around his neck. She made sure to push her breasts as close to him as possible. Natsu and Lucy simultaneously gritted their teeth and clenched their hands under the table.

Lissana shot Lucy a dirty look and whispered in Natsu's ear (but Lucy heard every word) "What are you hanging around with these losers for? Wouldn't you rather come with me that stay here with the ugly nerd" she purred glaring at Lucy. A muscle in Natsu's jaw twitched and silence descended on the table. Before he'd even moved, Lucy knew Natsu was going to stand up and yell at her.

Not wanting to make a scene, or make Natsu look like a bad guy, hidden below the table her hand shot out and caught his. Natsu stopped, and glanced at her through the corner of his eye. Without looking at him, she locked her fingers with his and gently rubbed soothing circles in his tan skin. Natsu visibly relaxed, his tense muscles unwound. He clutched her hand tighter. "At least none of these losers have to throw themselves at a guy to get him to notice them" he said coolly, jerking so Lissana lost her grip. Sniggers filled the air, and a red faced Lissana stalked off furiously.

Lucy bit her lip as snickers flew from her mouth. Natsu received pats on the back, and 'good ones' by Gajeel, Gray, Jellal, and even Erza. Natsu smiled at them, then leaned over and whispered in Lucy's ear. "Thanks for that Luce". "Anytime" she whispered giving his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lucy rested her sweaty palm against the rough bark of the oak tree towering above her. She bent down, griping her left knee with her other hand and slowly drew in long gulps of air. Her breath came in laboured pants. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and stood upright, hands on hips, gulping in the oxygen around her. The sun was high in the cloudless blue sky. She could feel its permeating rays lick at her sweaty skin.

Magnolia Park was spread like a blanket below the small hill she was standing on. Exhilarated laughter hummed in the air. Children chased after colourful kites that ducked and dived like birds in the air while parents watched and chuckled fondly. Ice-cream was being steadily consumed at every angle, white rivers decorating the hands of many. The soft green grass danced in the gentle breeze, and the park was dotted with an array of colourful tree tops.

Lucy leaned her back against the trunk of the magnificent oak tree, closed her eyes and basked in the glorious shade the canopy provided. Every Saturday morning she would go out for a jog. Magnolia Park was the perfect location for such activities. Lucy had only been jogging for an hour or two and she was already having so much more fun than she did at her old home.

"Lucy!?" Lucy's eyes snapped open to see a shocked and delighted Natsu standing in front of her. He was wearing a jersey and shorts that, like that day in PE, clung to his sweaty skin. The small droplets that coated his muscular arms and legs glistened in the sunlight. His hair was, again, slightly damp. "Natsu?" she exclaimed in surprise. His face lit up with a childlike grin. "What are you doing here?" they asked in unison. "Jogging" they both replied simultaneously.

Lucy pushed herself off the tree and walked to stand in front of him. She smiled brightly. "I usually go for a jog on Saturday mornings" she explained. Natsu grin got bigger. "So do I! We should jog together from now on" Lucy couldn't help the blush that instantly lit her cheeks. "That would be fun" she said. Natsu swung an arm around her shoulders and whooped. "Now we can be jogging buddies!" he cried happily. Lucy could only laugh.

Natsu soon saw the ice-cream van and his eyes immediately brightened. "ICE-CREAM!" he screamed in happiness, almost pulling Lucy's arm out of its socket as he enthusiastically dragged her along. They stopped in front of the little window. Natsu fished around in his pocket and pulled out some jewels. "What do you want Luce?" he asked. "Um…I don't have any money on me" Lucy said. Natsu rolled his eyes. "I'm paying weirdo, so what do you want?"

"Oh I couldn't-" "I'm going to buy you something anyways, so make it something you want. Please Luce, it's my treat" he grinned. "And no you will not pay me back" he added, just as Lucy opened her mouth to say exactly that. "Fine then" she said. Lucy examined the options, deliberated for a second then gave Natsu her order. He got a second one for himself then the pair set off, happily devouring the delicious chilled treat and chatting.

•••

Lucy brushed out her hair and tied it up in its usual side ponytail. Natsu and her spent another while jogging before they retired back home. Natsu went back to his own house to shower and get changed, promising he'd be back over soon since his parents were away at some business meeting (but Natsu knew he would've came back regardless)

Speaking of which – "Hey Luce!" came a cheery voice from behind her. Lucy whirled to find said person in a red shirt and trousers. A look to the left told her he had again decided to use the window. "Can't you use a door?" she asked. He shrugged and flopped down on the sofa. Lucy puffed out a breath and walked into the kitchen. "So what do you want to do?" she called.

Natsu crossed his arms behind his head and thought. "Isn't there some new spa place in town?" he asked. "The Pink Blossom?" Lucy called back. The girls in her class had been going on about it for weeks. "That's the one" Natsu yelled back. "You probably want to go to it". Lucy snorted. It was incredibly sweet that Natsu was willing to do what she wanted even if he didn't to do it. "I've got a better idea"

Lucy walked back into her room. Under one arm was a big bowl full of crisps and in the other was the video game 'Fireball' **(I have no idea if that is a real game or not, I made it up)** which she dangled in front of Natsu's face. His jaw dropped. He loved that game! "Is it possible for you to get anymore awesome?" he said. Lucy laughed and popped the game into the PlayStation. She plopped onto the sofa beside Natsu and grabbed a controller. Natsu grabbed the other, secretly thanking God that he met a girl as awesome as Lucy.

•••

An irritated sigh – which must really be the hundredth by this point – slipped from Lucy's lips. She tried her best to focus on Mrs Connell's lesson. Key word here. _Tried._ It was proving extremely difficult, since a certain pink haired boy sitting next to her was repeatedly poking her side. "What?" she hissed irritably at him. He pouted adorably. "I'm bored" he whined childishly. "You could try learning something" she said, gesturing at their teacher. He huffed and muttered "Killjoy". Then he continued to poke her side.

Lucy gritted her teeth. To tell the truth, despite how annoying he could get, Lucy was overjoyed that she'd been placed beside Natsu (Lissana was most certainly not impressed and threw a hissy fit). Since his parents were away at a business meeting, they had spent practically the entire weekend together and grew even closer. Lucy defiantly considered Natsu now her best friend (and continually had arguments inside her head that she did _not_ want him to be more than that – she was lying of course)

"If you stop that I'll cook you dinner later" she hissed. Natsu smiled cheerily and instantly stopped. He rested his cheek on his palm and puffed out a breath. Lucy turned her attention back to Mrs Connell, ignoring the death glares she'd been getting from several angry fangirls (Lissana included) since the start of the class. She was used to it by now. They'd been regularly doing it every time they saw her ever since she started hanging out with the boys, particularly Natsu. (After Levy and Gajeel started dating Levy, Erza Juvia and her now permanently sat at their lunch table)

"Ok class, you'll be working in pairs for your class project" Mrs Connell said. "Since you're all sitting in pairs, you'll be working with however you're sitting beside". Natsu's face lit up with a joyful grin. "Luce! That means were partners!" he exclaimed happily, swinging a muscular arm around her shoulders. The death glares intensified. Lissana screeched loudly in outrage and slammed her hands on her desk. "WHAT!? You can't let that bit -" "That's enough Miss Strauss" Mrs Connell reprimanded sharply. "I decide and my mind is made up. Sit down" Lissana glared at Mrs Connell and sat down, folding her arms.

Natsu sent a sharp glare in her direction and pulled Lucy closer. "How dare she call you a bitch, that little -" Lucy cut off his furious snarl by grabbing his hand. "Just ignore her" she smiled softly. Natsu sent Lissana a last fiery glare and dropped his arm, growling softly. Lucy poked his side, and his face blossomed into his signature grin. The bell rang faintly in the background.

•••


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lucy twisted her hands together nervously as she stared at the large wooden door. Beside her Natsu chuckled. "Relax Luce, you'll be fine. My parents are cool, they'll love you. Trust me". Lucy nodded and smiled. "I can do this!" she said enthusiastically, hitting the palm of her hand with a fist. "That's the spirit Luce" Natsu said. He pushed the door open, Lucy following behind. "Mom! Dad! I'm home" he called out. "Natsu!" the excited voice was met with a hurtling blue blur colliding with Natsu's legs.

"Wendy!" Natsu laughed. He bent down and gave the blue haired girl a hug. He got back up and gestured at Lucy. "Wendy this is my friend Lucy. Lucy this is my little sister, Wendy". Lucy waved a hand. "It's nice to meet you" she said. "You too" Wendy giggled. "You're really pretty". Lucy blushed and laughed. "Not as pretty as you" she said. Wendy practically glowed. She hugged Lucy's leg tightly. "Thank you!" she squealed. Lucy ruffled the little girls blue hair affectionately. "Your welcome sweetheart".

Wendy looked up a Lucy with wide brown eyes. "Could you be my big sister?" she pleaded. Lucy laughed delightedly. "Sure" Wendy jumped up and down in delight. "Yay! Want to come see my dolls?" she said grabbing Lucy's hands. "Later Wen, me and Luce have a school project to work on" Natsu cut in. Wendy pouted. "Ok, but you have to play too!" Wendy said. "Of course" Natsu patted her on the head. Wendy giggled and spun off.

"Well she really liked you" Natsu said. Lucy shrugged. Natsu made his way into the kitchen. A slim woman with dark blue hair and soft brown eyes stood by the sink, washing dishes. A man who looked incredibly like Natsu but with dark red hair sat at the table. "Hey guys" Natsu said. "Welcome back" the blue haired woman kissed him on the cheek. Her eyes brightened when she saw Lucy. "Who's this?" "Mom, Dad this is my friend Lucy. Lucy, my Mom and Dad"

Lucy inclined her head slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr and Mrs Dragneel" she said politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you too dear. And please, call me Grandine. And that useless lump over there is my husband Igneel" Igneel looked up from the paperwork in front of him. "Lucy! So I see you've met my son". Lucy nodded and slipped of her glasses, since Igneel had already seen her without them **(he's her landlord, remember?)**

"Let me help you with those" she offered. Grabbing a towel she began to dry the dishes Grandine was washing. "That's so nice of you dear". Igneel tapped a finger on his chin and observed the scene with a strange look on his face. "Is my son blackmailing you?" he asked suddenly. Natsu spat out the orange juice he was drinking. "W-What?" he choked. "Umm…No?" Lucy replied sweat dropping. "Huh" Igneel said. "Funny. I mean you're smart, beautiful, helpful, and since you baked me cookies when you moved into your apartment I can say you're an amazing cook. So why on earth would you willingly hang around the lazy thing I call my son?"

"DAD!" Natsu hissed in embarrassment. Grandine promptly whacked Igneel across the head with a wet dishcloth. He yelped in pain and scowled as he massaged the sore spot. "He's actually a great person to be friends with" Lucy laughed. Natsu immediately brightened and grinned smugly at his father. Then he turned back to Lucy, pouting. "Luuccce, you didn't bake me cookies" he whined. Lucy rolled her eyes. "I cook for you all the time". He switched on the adorable teary puppy dog eyes that Lucy couldn't resist. "Fine, I'll bake you cookies later" she sighed. Natsu whooped and hugged her. "You're the best Luce". Igneel and Grandine shared a knowing look. "Did I hear someone say cookies?" Wendy popped her head around the door.

•••

Lucy yawned and rubbed her tired eyes. True to their word, once they finished their project Natsu and Lucy went through Wendy's doll collection, then ran around the house *ehem mansion ehem* (seriously though the place was huge. It was a good thing Lucy was used to it, since she grew up in a mansion, or she probably would have got lost) squealing while Natsu chased after them roaring with a red blanket tied around his arms (they were playing princesses and dragons)

Then they all baked cookies in the kitchen. Well, tried, but it resulted in a cookie dough fight which Igneel and Grandine joined in after they both got hit in the face while checking up on them (Natsu's parents were seriously childish. Must run in the family). Afterwards Lucy actually made cookies, and they happily munched while watched movies. It was now late, Wendy was in bed and Lucy should be getting home. She turned to say as much to Natsu, but was interrupted by a loud boom. She flicked her gaze to the window, to find the heavens opening with thunder and heavy sheets of rain colliding with the glass like bullets.

"Oh no" Grandine said, biting her lip. "I guess you better stay the night Lucy. We've got plenty of spare bedrooms. Natsu can lend you a shirt, and I've got some old clothes that will probably fit you for tomorrow. Thank goodness it's a Friday". Lucy was so tired she couldn't care less. "Are you sure?" she asked anyway, afraid of intruding. "Of course dear. Natsu go grab one of your shirts. I'll take you to you room".

Lucy sleepily dragged herself up and followed her. Grandine opened a sleek mahogany door to a bedroom that looked very similar to Lucy's own apartment bedroom. The only differences were the bed was king sized and it had an en suite bathroom. "I'll go get you a toothbrush. Natsu's room is just across the hall if you need anything". She left just as Natsu emerged from the room opposite hers. "Here" he said, extending a large red t-shirt. "Thanks" Lucy murmured stifling a yawn.

Natsu chuckled and gave her a one armed hug. "See you in the morning Luce. Sweet dreams" he whispered. "You too" she replied. Grandine returned with a blue toothbrush and wished her a goodnight. After brushing her teeth and everything else, Lucy slipped into Natsu's t-shirt and collapsed on the bed. The mattress was like cotton wool and oh so much more comfortable than her own bed. She buried her head in the cloudlike pillow and snuggled under the covers. Natsu's t-shirt smelt like him, and Lucy's brain vaguely registered that he smelt really nice, before she drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lucy adjusted the strap of her satchel as she walked down the light grey paved streets. The occasional car zoomed past, making her blonde hair flutter. It was now 3 months since her sleepover at Natsu's house that day, and since then she practically lived at his house. His parents were now like parents to her, and she was like a daughter to them. Since her and Natsu walked home together every day she usually just went to his house and stayed there. It was much more fun staying with them than sitting by herself in her apartment.

The guest room was now called Lucy's room, and she slept in it more than her own bed. She even kept her top and shirt outfit there now, along with her uniform. She would usually help Grandine make dinner every day, since the Dragneel family had quickly established that they loved her cooking. Lucy had also established that the Dragneel family was both childish and at times completely bonkers. Natsu and her came home one day to find Grandine, Igneel and Wendy running around like madmen having a water fight, complete with water guns and water balloons (they joined in of course)

School continued to be the boring hell school was. Lucy continued to get death glares from almost every female in the whole place. Lissana continued to be her insufferable self and use Natsu as a personal teddy bear, much to both his and Lucy's annoyance. She made sure to shot nasty glares and sneer and Lucy the minute Natsu's back was turned. The stream of insults never ended and she tried pushing, shoving and tripping Lucy at every opportunity. Luckily she rarely succeeded, thanks to her friend's constant presences. Occasionally Lucy would allow herself to fall, just because if Lissana didn't get at least one success she wouldn't stop until she did. Fortunately, Natsu's strong arms never failed to catch Lucy anytime Lissana did succeed.

Natsu and Lucy had become inseparable. Natsu was overjoyed that Lucy was now at his house so often. He'd started sleeping in her bed instead of his own. Lucy kicked him out every morning at first, but then she gave in and just let him stay. After all, he had to have the highest body temperature possible for a human being, so her bed was constantly nice and warm when he was in it. They always ended up cuddling. As much as she wanted to deny it, Lucy had fell for the adorable idiot, and nothing made her happier than waking up in his arms.

The same went for Natsu. He simply couldn't help but climb into her bed at night. He realized a while ago that he was in love with the blonde. He just wanted to hold her close and never let her go. She was always so beautiful in the morning and she smelt incredible. He couldn't describe how amazing it felt to wake up with the girl you love in your arms. Even if she didn't know it, and even if he couldn't kiss her senseless like he desperately wanted to.

Lucy turned a corner to see her apartment. She was going to Natsu's house anyway (she had after school writers club with Levy. Natsu usually would have basketball practice and the two would walk home together like normal but it was cancelled so he went ahead) but she frowned when something caught her eye. There was an old woman in her apartment! Lucy raced through the open door. The old woman turned and looked at her in confusion.

"Can I help you dear?" she asked kindly. Lucy's mouth flapped in astonishment. All her stuff was gone! "What are you doing here?" she croaked. The old woman frowned. "I'm taking a look around. Mr Dragneel put this apartment on sale yesterday, so my niece asked me to take a look for her" she explained. Lucy gasped. Just what on earth was going on? She mumbled a quick "Thanks" to the old woman and ran out the door.

She raced over to Natsu's house. "Igneel?" she called out. She heard shuffling coming from upstairs. She hurried up the staircase and found the noises were coming from her room. She extended a hand to open the door when it burst open and Natsu fell out. He grinned up at her from where he was lying on the floor. "Hey Luce" he said. "What -" Lucy started but the sentence died in her mouth when she looked up. Igneel, Grandine and Wendy stood in her room. All of her stuff was set up just like her old apartment.

She gaped in shock, struggling to form a sentence. Natsu got up and stood beside her. "Um…" he started nervously. Lucy turned to him. "We thought…that since you spend so much time here you might like to move in with us" he said. Lucy's jaw dropped in shock. "You don't have to if you don't want to" he quickly added. "We just thought you might -" his sentence was cut short as Lucy flung her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "I'd love to" she choked her eyed tearing slightly. Natsu hugged her back tightly and sighed in relief.

Lucy turned and ran to give Igneel, Grandine and Wendy a huge hug. "You guys are the best" she said. The three of them grinned happily and returned the hug, high-fiving. Lucy pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Well, now that that's settled" Grandine said clapping her hands together. "Lucy, we have some serious work to do". "Huh?" Lucy asked. "I will not allow you to continue living your life with that measly excuse of a wardrobe. We are having a shopping spree!" she giggled excitedly clasping Lucy's hands.

•••

True to her word, Grandine dragged Lucy out of bed on Saturday for an all-out shopping spree. Grandine insisted on buying everything, despite Lucy's protests. A few hours later they were laden with numerous bags (holding absolutely everything –t-shirts, skirts, jeans, shorts, boots, shoes, flats, coats (including a very nice fur-lined coat with matching boots), swimwear – you name it) They were now on dresses, had a few picked out already and Lucy was trying the other ones.

"What do you think?" Lucy asked, stepping out of the changing room. She was wearing a simple dark blue sundress with a glittery golden belt. Grandine's eyes sparkled in delight. "You look gorgeous honey. Give us a twirl" she said. Laughing, Lucy twirled in a full circle. She stopped and curtsied while Grandine applauded and cheered. Lucy froze as she heard the high pitched voice she knew all too well. She dived back into the changing room and dragged the red curtain across, just a Lissana appeared.

"Grandine!" she called. Lucy watched through a crack in the curtain as Grandine turned to the approaching white haired girl, her smile becoming fixed and rigid on her face. "Lissana" she said, her voice blank and emotionless. Lissana grabbed her wrist. "So nice to see you" drawled. Grandine pulled her wrist sharply out of Lissana's grip and said "Mhm-hmm" "Shopping?" Lissana asked. She walked past and called out over her shoulder. "Good idea. You need it"

Lucy gasped. Rude much? Grandine glared daggers at her retreating back. Lucy slipped out to stand beside her and they watched as Lissana sauntered up to a pretty brunette who was admiring a pink dress. Lissana snatched the dress out of the girl's hands. She smirked and said, "This one's taken" before marching away, leaving the flabbergasted girl in her wake.

Grandine and Lucy let out simultaneous snarls. "That girl needs a good slap around the face" Grandine muttered darkly. Lucy nodded in agreement. "You know she came to our house once? Walked straight through the door and kicked off her shoes like she owned the place. Said she was there to see Natsu and decided to invite herself to dinner". Grandine shook her head, an ugly scowl on her face.

"We couldn't say no, so we had to put up with her. Igneel and I both were itching to give her a good kick. Natsu looked like he was about to punch her in the face, and even Wendy looked ready to smash something". Lucy shook her head. "I swear, someday I'll break her nose myself" Lucy growled. "When you do, tell me. I'll give her a black eye while we're at it" Grandine said. The two of them laughed together before they linked arms and walked up to the cash register.

•••

"Aww…He's so cuuuuttteee" Lucy cooed at the pink haired baby. Grandine laughed. "Yeah, time really flies" she said, placing the baby photo back in her purse. "So…" she started, a sly smirk creeping up onto her face. "You seem awfully close to my son Lucy" Lucy flushed and swirled the dark brown liquid in her white cup with a wooden stirrer. They were in the same French Café she visited with Erza, Levy and Juvia.

"I guess…" Lucy said. "You know a lot of people would think you two are a couple" Lucy's face went red. "Umm…Well…" she stuttered. "Do you like him like that?" Grandine questioned, her eyes soft and gentle. Lucy twisted her hands nervously. "Umm…well, I guess I…Oh fine I do ok! I have crush on him! Heck I probably love him" she squeaked, burying her face in her hands. Grandine grinned as she reached across and gently peeled Lucy's hands away from her scarlet face. "Well, if I know my son, I'd say you've got a very good chance my dear"

•••

Natsu sighed loudly as he lay on the large sofa in the living room, staring at the ceiling. Wendy was at her friend's house, and Lucy and his Mom were out so he had nothing to do. He didn't feel like watching TV, playing video games, or inviting Gray over. He just lay there and stared at the white ceiling, thinking about Lucy. He was always thinking about her. Her hair, her lips, her eyes, her laugh, her smile, how amazing she was, how lucky he was to know her, how much he wanted to kiss her, how much he loved her…God he missed her.

"Natsu!" Natsu yelped and fell ungracefully off the sofa. Rubbing his head he dragged himself back up to see his father watching him. "I was calling you for about five minutes" Igneel said. "Oh, sorry" Natsu mumbled. "There's something I want to talk to you about" he said. Natsu raised an eyebrow. "It's about Lucy" His heart jumped. "What about her?" he asked warily. Igneel shrugged. "You two seem very close. I wanted to ask what she is to you"

"She's…my best friend, obviously" Natsu replied, a blush coating his cheeks. Igneel looked unconvinced. "Is that it? Or is she more to you? Do you like her? You know, as in like like?" "No, I don't like her" Natsu said. Igneel narrowed his eyes. "I love her" he said softly. A soft smile spread across Igneel's face. "Why don't you tell her that?" Natsu let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Because, she probably doesn't like me like that" he muttered.

Igneel sighed and placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Son, a guy only meets one woman that means absolutely everything to them. For me, it's your mother. Lucy isn't going to wait around forever, so you better grab her before someone else does. That girl is one of a kind. You're never going to meet someone like her ever again. So grab her, hold her close, and don't ever let her go" Natsu grinned at his father. "Thanks Dad, I will"

They both turned as the door swung open. "We're back!" Grandine called out. Her and Lucy entered the living room, both carrying a mountain of bags. Natsu brightened up immediately. "Luce! You're back!" he said rushing to her side. "Hey" she said, leaning back slightly as one of the bags tilted dangerously. "Her, I'll take those" Natsu offered and took a couple of hers, as well as all the ones his mother was carrying. "Thank you dear" Grandine said and Natsu and Lucy made their way up the stairs, chatting away. Grandine turned to Igneel.

"So…" she asked. "Oh yeah, he's in love with her" Igneel replied. Grandine giggled and clapped her hands excitedly. "I knew it! Lucy's in love with him too". She grasped her husband's hands as she grinned her evil matchmaker grin. "We have to get them together. Oh just think of the cute babies! We're going to have such adorable grandchildren!" she gushed. They both started jumping up and down, eyes glittering as they grinned like maniacs. "Umm…Are you guys ok?" They turned to see Natsu and Lucy standing at the bottom of the stairs giving them weird stares. Grandine and Igneel sweat-dropped and laughed nervously. "We were just leaving" they said in unison, leaving dust clouds in their wake as the raced away. Natsu and Lucy gave each other a look, then shrugged and went back up the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Natsu groaned loudly and buried his face in Lucy's pillow. "I'm soooooo bored!" he moaned in frustration, cracking open one eye to watch Lucy. She hummed absentmindedly in agreement, eyes never leaving the page in front of her. Natsu poked her cheek a few times, so she flicked her gaze up to him, thin eyebrows drawn in annoyance. "Want to go get something to eat?" he asked.

The two of them were home alone, as Grandine and Igneel were on yet another business meeting and Wendy was sleeping over at her friend's house. Lucy flushed faintly, as that offer sounded very much like a date (which made her inner Lucy do a happy dance). She cleared her throat and set her book down. "Sure. Where do you want to go?" she asked. Natsu internally sighed in relief that she accepted. "There's some new place that opened a few weeks ago" he said. "We could try it."

Lucy smiled and made shooing motions with her hands. "Let me get changed" she said. Huffing, Natsu heaved himself of her comfortable bed and decided he should probably get changed himself. 10 minutes later, a Natsu stood by the door in his favourite white shirt, leather jacket and black trousers, twirling the keys to his red Lamborghini around one finger. He tapped his foot on the gleaming wooden floorboards impatiently.

A small cough to his left caught his attention. He turned and his eyes widened. Lucy blushed slightly and clutched her left arm nervously. "Did I overdress?" she asked timidly. She was wearing a strapless black dress, with a black bow around the middle and a wavy layered skirt ending slightly below her knees, accompanied with black shoes with a small heel. Her hair was tied up in a bun with a black ribbon and a small black purse hung on one shoulder. Natsu gulped and shook his head. "Not at all. You look amazing".

Lucy's blush intensified but she smiled brightly. Natsu opened the door. "Milady" he said, bowing at the waist. Lucy giggled and walked through the door. Natsu locked it behind them then made sure to hold the car door open for her. "Aren't you a gentleman" Lucy laughed. Natsu only grinned as he slipped into the black leather seat beside her and started the car.

A few minutes later they pulled up outside a small restaurant. The walls were painted white, and the two windows at the front revealed neat rows of white table clothed wooden tables. Lights positioned in rows of black metal holders along the walls cast a gentle glow across the room. Natsu opened her door then extended an arm that she gladly took as they walked inside.

Soon they were positioned at a two person table tucked in a corner beside a window (Natsu pulling her seat out for her of course) Lucy was still debating whether or not it was a date. It seemed like a date, and felt like a date, but Natsu hadn't actually said whether or not it was a date. Of course in most first dates you'd normally be nervous. But since Lucy and Natsu were so close already it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable for either of them. In fact, it felt just felt natural.

Lucy suddenly spotted a flash of red. She turned and saw a certain redhead sitting across from a certain blue haired boy with a tattoo on his face. Lucy clasped a hand over her mouth as hysterical squeals flew out. Natsu raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong. Lucy quickly shook her head. She grabbed his hand and gestured silently at the table. Natsu looked below them and his eyes widened.

He bit his lip and clamped a hand over his mouth as he snorted in amusement. "It's about time" they said in unison. They shared a grin and continued to spy on their friends. Erza had an unrelenting blush on her face but it was accompanied by an unrelenting smile. As their food arrived, Natsu and Lucy quickly decided to leave their friends on their date and went back to conversing.

Lucy twirled a strand of her pasta carbonara around an elegant silver fork and popped it in her mouth. She groaned out loud. "My God this is delicious" she said. Natsu took a big bite of his large burger and let out an identical groan. "I'm coming here for dinner everyday" he said. "Only if you take me with you" Lucy laughed. Natsu extended a piece of burger he cut off. "Want to try it?" Lucy shrugged and popped the piece in her mouth. "I've never tasted a burger that delicious before" she moaned. Twirling another strand of pasta around her fork she passed it to Natsu.

He took it and slipped the fork into his mouth. "Mm mm" he said giving her fork back. "Whoever these chefs are, they aren't human" he said. They chatted non-stop and soon their dessert arrived. They ordered a single piece of chocolate cake, since they were both too full for one each. Taking it in turns to eat a forkful, they continued the non-stop chatter. Once the check arrived, they argued about who should pay (Natsu insisting he would and Lucy saying she would) until Lucy realized she'd forgotten her money and Natsu happily paid for everything

As they drove home, both Natsu and Lucy's hearts were doing exhilarated loop-the-loops. They continued talking about how nice the food was until they pulled up in front of their house again. By now it was dark. Streetlamps cast beams of yellow light on the grey streets. Lucy clutched Natsu's jacket tighter around her shoulders as the night chill licked her skin (he gave it to her once she shivered when they stepped out of the restaurant – being careful to avoid Erza and Jellal)

As the approached the front door, instead of unlocking it he turned to look at Lucy. She raised an eyebrow at him. "This is the part where after the date the guy leaves the girl home, kisses her, takes his jacket then leaves right?" he said. Lucy's breathe caught in her throat. So this _was_ a date! She breathlessly nodded. Natsu smiled then said, "Well since you live here too, and I'm sure you'll give me my jacket back when we're inside, I can only do one of those things". Before Lucy's mind had time to process what he said, his lips were on hers.

Lucy sucked in a breath as warmth flooded her body. She wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and one hand slipped into his hair as her eyes drifted shut. Natsu smiled against her lips, his fingers clutching her waist as he pulled her closer. They broke apart, breath coming in heavy pants. Natsu grinned widely, his eyes soft as his fingers trailed gently down Lucy's cheek. She smiled lovingly and grabbed his other hand, knitting their fingers together. "I've wanted to do that for a really long time" Natsu laughed softly.

Lucy's eyes lit up in delight. She cupped his cheek and pulled his lips down to hers again. A few moments later they sprang apart again. Lucy grinned happily and whispered "Me too". "Want to go inside and make popcorn and watch a movie?" Natsu suggested. "Sounds good to me" Lucy agreed. They locked lips once more as Natsu unlocked the door behind him, kicked it open and without breaking the kiss, scooped Lucy up bridal style and carried her inside.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Lucy sat beside Levy on the blue plastic chairs placed in neat rows inside the large hall, as Igneel and Grandine stood on the black stage before them, voices echoing in the far corners behind them, as they described the different aspects of the business world. Natsu's parents had been invited to give Lucy and Natsu's year a speech on business and marketing etc. which they happily accepted. Lucy, having been used along with Natsu as the audience while Igneel and Grandine did a test run at home, had already heard it. She looked to her right, where Levy was sitting beside Gajeel, Juvia was clinging to a reluctant Gray's arm and Erza and Jellal were holding hands and quietly whispering to each other.

It was three weeks since her date with Natsu (who she was now glad to call her boyfriend. Erza and Jellal had announced they were dating after a week, and Natsu and Lucy revealed the news the day after, although they asked their friends not to mention it to anyone at their school, as they were keeping it a secret for now). They were the three happiest weeks of her life.

Natsu was the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. Regularly he surprised her by hugging her from behind, which was usually followed by kissing. Lucy now spent her nights in his bed (Btw they have not done _it_ yet, but since Natsu's bed was bigger and more comfortable than Lucy's – and the fact that Natsu couldn't sleep unless Lucy was with him and vice versa – she slept in his) and was greeted when she woke up by Natsu telling her how beautiful she was.

They wasted nights and mornings just cuddling and talking about random things. Lucy almost always ended up in Natsu's lap whenever she sat down. They sometimes spent evenings just having heated make-out sessions, and kissed at practically every possible opportunity. At school, they spent their mornings kissing and snuggling until other people started arriving. Then they acted like they normally did (but Natsu made sure to hold her hand every possible time he could when no one could see)

He also got her the most stunning necklace she'd ever seen in her life. It was a ruby heart, which was a locket with their pictures inside. Lucy loved it to pieces, and after a very happy Lucy passionately kissed him so hard it left him gasping, Natsu made a mental note to buy her presents more often. She had only taken it off when she took a bath or shower. Lucy looked to her left, where said boyfriend was looking incredibly bored. He caught her looking and smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Igneel and Grandine's lecture finished a few moments later. The students filed out of the hall and went straight to the canteen, since it was now lunch time. Just as they entered the canteen and made their way to the base of the stairs, Lucy felt a something heavy drape over her shoulders. She looked up to see Igneel's grinning face. He had one arm around Lucy's shoulders and the other around Natsu's.

"So…What did you guys think?" he asked. "It was brilliant Igneel" Lucy laughed. "You were fine Dad, like we told you five million times already" Natsu said exasperatedly. Igneel shrugged and Grandine appeared in the doorway with Wendy beside her. "Lucy!" Wendy squealed, running to her. Lucy laughed and caught her under the arms, swigging her up in the air then putting her back down again and hugging her. "Wendy!" she laughed.

Beside her Natsu pouted. "I don't even get a hello?" he huffed. Wendy giggled and turned to hug his legs. Natsu ruffled her hair fondly. "Lucy! Have you heard?" Grandine rushed over excitedly and clasped Lucy's hands in hers. "Heart Kreuz is having a huge sale this weekend!" she squealed. "Really?" Lucy squealed back. They both started jumping up and down in happiness while Natsu and Igneel sweat-dropped.

"Ummm…" Levy mumbled. Lucy and Grandine turned to look at her. "Since when did you become so familiar with Natsu's parents Lu?" she asked quietly. Grandine practically beamed as she hugged Lucy. "Didn't you hear? Lucy's my new daughter" she said, giggling as hearts flew around them. Lucy found herself being snatched from Grandine's arms and hugged by Igneel. "No!" he protested childishly. "Lucy's my new daughter!"

Next thing she knew Wendy was clinging onto her leg. "Don't be ridiculous! Lucy's my big sister!" she chuckled. Lucy was again dragged through the air and ended up in Natsu's warm arms. "You're all imagining things" he snorted. "Lucy's mine. She loves me so much more than you losers" he said sticking out his tongue. Lucy blushed. "She does not! She obviously loves me more!" Igneel declared. "In your dreams old man" Natsu countered. "You're all delusional, Lucy loves me the most" Grandine stated. "No! Me!" Wendy wailed. The Dragneels then started a loud argument over who Lucy loves the most.

During it all, a very baffled Lucy suddenly burst out laughing. The Dragneels stopped their squabbling to stare at her. "You guys are nuts" she laughed. "But I love you all" Natsu grinned and hugged her. "We love you too Luce" he said. "Group hug!" Grandine announced, and the three of them wrapped their arms around Lucy. "Well, we've got to go kids. Have a good day at school!" Grandine called as she pulled Igneel and Wendy from the canteen.

Natsu and Lucy waved as they left. Turning, they both stopped dead when they realized that the whole canteen (which contained practically the whole school) was completely silent and had witnessed the whole thing. Several females looked ready to rip Lucy limb from limb. Natsu and Lucy turned to look at each other, silently agreeing. "RUN!" they simultaneously screamed, bolting from the canteen as a mob of angry fangirls ran screaming after them. One particular female followed Lucy's movements from the back of the canteen. She muttered darkly "I have to get rid of the blonde bitch".

•••

Natsu's feet drummed against the shining tiles of the corridor as he walked quickly to the front doors of the school. He had an after school basketball practice, and was anxious to get back to his beautiful girlfriend. His lips curled into a soft smile and he bounded down the front steps with a spring in his step. His footsteps abruptly stopped when he saw someone was waiting at the bottom of the stone steps. She twirled a piece of white hair around her finger and looked up at him with a sneer.

"Lissana" he said shortly. "What do you want?" "Not even a hello?" she said sweetly. Natsu narrowed his eyes at her. She huffed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I found some interesting information I wanted to share with you" she said, folding her arms over her chest. "It's about that ugly nerd. What's her name? Lucy?"

Natsu snarled fiercely at her. "What do you want with Lucy?" Lissana giggled. "Oh nothing. I just discovered some very interesting information about her. If I give it to the right people, your little friend's life will be ruined. I doubt she'll be able to get a job, get into university…They'll probably throw her out of the school. Poor thing. She'll be finished" Lissana pouted.

Natsu grabbed her arm tightly. "Do whatever the hell you want with me, just leave Lucy out of this!" he growled. "She's done nothing to you". "Actually, she has" Lissana sneered. "So this is how it's going to work. Either you go and tell the little bitch that you hate her guts and never want to see her again, or it looks like little Lucy's life will be over before it's even started" She dragged her arm out of his grip and strutted down the street. "You have until tomorrow" she called over her shoulder, leaving a raging Natsu standing alone on the street.

•••

Lucy looked up at the soft knock on her door. Grinning, she put her book down, deciding it must be Natsu. She opened the door with a huge smile on her face. Her smile dropped slightly. Natsu's bangs covered his eyes and he was trembling, his hands clenched into fists. "We need to talk" he said, voice laced with bitterness.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 **Authors Note (Please read!): Ok before this chapter continues, as it's the Prom chapter, I want to say I have no idea how a Prom actually works, so if I get anything wrong or include something that doesn't actually happen at a Prom, I'm sorry. I'm just going to do this my way. Thank you for continuing to read!**

Natsu and Lucy didn't show up at school for three days. Their friends knew that something had happened, something to do with their relationship, but since neither of them were answering their calls or texts, they had no idea what. And they voted against visiting the Dragneel residence. By the end of schools on the third day, they were getting seriously worried. Because it was Prom night.

By 7:00pm, with Prom already beginning, Erza, Levy and Juvia were dressed, ready and frantically hammering on the Dragneels front door. A slightly shocked Grandine opened it to the three girls. "We have to talk to Lucy" they yelled. "And Natsu too, if he's there" Levy added. It took a few seconds for Grandine to reply. "Natsu left for Prom with Gray 15 minutes ago" she said. "Lucy's upstairs. Second door on your right -" Grandine just barely finished her sentence when she was almost knocked flying as they rushed past.

Lucy looked up in confusion as her door was almost knocked off its hinges. Erza, Levy and Juvia burst inside. "Umm…are you guys ok?" Lucy asked, her Prom dress hanging from one hand. The three of them stared at it for a few long seconds. "Uhh…" Erza began. "We came here to force you to come to Prom with us" Levy said. "We assumed you'd be…you know, crying and eating ice-cream instead of going. Since something happened with Natsu…" she trailed off uncertainly. Lucy smiled at them. "That's so sweet of you guys" she said, hugging the three baffled girls. Pulling back, she said "But there is something you can help me with"

•••

Natsu groaned in frustration for the thousandth time that night. He sat at a round table with a white tablecloth, watching as random couples danced across the floor of the floor. The venue that had been chosen was a ballroom form one of Magnolia's fanciest hotels. Gray, Gajeel and Jellal had disappeared off somewhere. His cheek rested on his fist as he stared blankly at the wall. He finger the collar of his white shirt, then fiddled with his red tie. Then his agitated fingers made their way to the lapels of his black suit. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Natsu!" a sweet voice called out. Natsu felt like crying. Lissana draped her arms around his neck. She was wearing a long violet and white dress. Natsu growled and jerked away from her touch. Lissana pouted and wrapped her arms back around his neck from behind. "Don't be shy Natsu" she giggled. "You know I'm so much better than that blonde bimbo". Natsu snarled and his hands formed fists under the table. He couldn't take Lissana's crap any longer. She'd been annoying him non-stop since he walked through the doors. Where the hell was- Natsu stopped dead. His eyes widened, his heart raced faster than lightening and his breath caught in his throat. _Lucy._

There she was. Walking through the doors. Erza, Levy and Juvia were behind her, but he had eyes only for the beautiful girl in front of him. Time seemed to stop. Her dress was a rich red, the same colour as his tie. It had long flowing skirts, and showed off her ample cleavage. A V-shaped piece of fabric came up from the chest and joined behind her neck. It was accompanied with two red gloves that had a triangular shape at the end, passing between the fingers. Her hair was down, loosely curled and flowing. Heart shaped ruby earrings glimmered in the light, and the necklace he got her was around her neck.

Natsu's eye never moved from her as she walked slowly down the stairs. _My God she is gorgeous._ As it just so happened, there was a man standing at the bottom of the stairs announcing the names whoever came through those doors. As he announced the four girl's names, audible gasps filled the room. "Lucy Heartfilia?" "That's _Lucy Heartfilia_? The _nerd_?" "No way!" "I don't believe it!" "Bloody hell she's smoking hot!" Natsu growled angrily at that one. Lucy walked right up to their table, her red heels echoing across the room as the ballroom went silent. Everyone stopped to watch. Gray, Gajeel and Jellal had appeared from nowhere.

Lissana stiffened behind him. Her wide eyes and open mouth betrayed her horror. "L-Lucy?" she stammered. "Lissana" Lucy reply coldly. She folded her arms across her chest and smiled sweetly "If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you removed yourself from my boyfriend". Lissana's mouth dropped open in horror. Grinning, Natsu darted out of her arms and made his way to Lucy's side. He intertwined their fingers and kissed her cheek softly. "You look stunning" he whispered. Lucy smiled up at him. Pulling back he asked "What took you so long?" Lucy shrugged. "Traffic".

Meanwhile the flabbergasted Lissana had regained her voice. "W-What?!" she screeched angrily. She turned on Natsu. "You were supposed to break up with her!" Natsu snorted. "You didn't think I'd actually do it, did you? She's the best thing that ever happened to me" "And I love her" he added quietly, so Lucy would be the only who heard. Smiling she squeezed his hand and whispered back "I love you too".

"You see Lissana" Lucy began. "It was a good plan. Blackmailing him. But it had two fatal flaws" Lissana puffed out her cheeks. "Natsu is far too good a boyfriend, and you talk too much" Lucy said.

 _Flashback_

" _We need to talk" Natsu said. Lucy frowned in confusion. "Ok" she said, stepping aside. Natsu walked past her and sat down on her bed. His fist clenched and unclenched nervously. "Are you ok?" Lucy asked, frowning in concern. She sat down on his lap and gently placed the back of her hand on his forehead. Natsu's warm arms encircled her and pulled her tightly against his chest. He buried his face in her neck. "I don't want this to end" he said, his voice braking._

 _Lucy ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. "Why does it have to end?" she asked gently. Natsu lifted his face up to her hair. "Lissana approached me after practice today" he said, burying his nose firmly in her sweet smelling hair. Her smell and her gentle fingers calmed him down, like they always did. "She said she had some information about you, and she would use it to ruin your life if I didn't tell you I hated you and never wanted to see you again"._

 _Tears began to run down his face as he grasped Lucy's hands in his. "I don't want to ruin your life, but I can't end this. It means too much to me. I'd be lost without you Luce. I don't think I could live anymore. I love you too much" Lucy gasped softly. A loving smile spread across her face. She cupped his cheeks and wiped away his tears. "I love you too" she whispered and kissed him, hard. Natsu kissed back, hugging her closer. They pulled away, smiling, and Natsu gently stroked her cheek. "So what do we do?" he asked. "We don't have to do anything" Lucy replied. Natsu frowned in confusion. "You see" Lucy continued, "I overheard a very interesting conversation today at school"_

 _Flashback-in-a-Flashback_

 _Lucy was walking down a corridor at Lunch time, and as she walked past an open door and heard a familiar voice. "…ruin her life if he doesn't break up with her!" Lissana declared proudly. "Brilliant plan Lissana" Kayley simpered. "I know right" Lissana crowed. "So now all we have to do is wait until Natsu breaks up with her, and he'll be yours again!" Kira added._

 _Lucy's eyes widened. Natsu break up with who? They must mean her! What evil plan had Lissana came up with to get Lissana to break up with her? Was she blackmailing him? Lucy flattened herself against the wall outside the room, listening intently. "Lissana" Emma asked, "What information do you have on Lucy that will ruin her life?" Ruin her life? Lissana must have told Natsu she could ruin Lucy's life? Lucy frowned. She couldn't think of anything she had done that could ruin her life._

" _Don't be stupid Emma" Lissana said. "I don't actually have any information that could ruin her life. Natsu just has to think I do. I could make something up, but even if I did my parents don't really listen to me anyway, so I have no way of actually getting someone arrested or something" "That's brilliant Lissana!" Kira said. Lissana smirked and leapt up. "I better go" she said and sashayed out the door waggling her fingers. Lucy had already sprinted to hide behind the corner. She watched Lissana leave, wondering how many people would actually be nice to her if they knew her parents didn't listen to her._

 _End-Flashback-in-a-Flashback_

" _So Lissana has nothing that could ruin your life" Natsu said. Lucy nodded. Natsu glowered in anger. "That little bitch! She blackmailed me to break up with you and she didn't even have anything to use!" he snarled. "I'm going to go and give her a good slap in the face tomorrow -" "Woah!" Lucy interrupted him. Natsu huffed. "Well we might as well just go tell her that we know what she's up to" Natsu said. "Yeah…Or…" Lucy started smiling mischievously. Natsu raised a brow at her. "We could do something to her. As revenge" Lucy said._

" _I got it!" she exclaimed snapping her fingers. With an evil grin she told Natsu her plan. A smile spread across his face. "This is why I love you" he said gleefully, knocking her backwards onto the mattress as her claimed her lips in a kiss. Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck. "Are you sure your parents will let us stay off?" she asked. Natsu shrugged. "We won't be doing anything at school if Prom is three days away anyway" he said. "And if we tell them it'll give Lissana what's coming to her, I'm sure they'll be all too happy to agree" Lucy hummed in agreement as his lips descended on hers._

 _End Flashback_

"So let me get this straight" Gray said from behind them. "You pretended you broke up, when you hadn't actually broke up?" "Yup" Natsu and Lucy replied. Lissana was fuming. "This isn't fair!" she screamed. "I'm the most popular girl in the school! I should be dating Natsu!" "You know Lissana, most of the reason why you're popular is because everyone thinks that you could ruin them if you told you're parents some lie about them" Lucy said. "That's why I found it extremely interesting that your parents don't actually listen to you"

Everyone in the room gasped in shock. Lissana turned red with anger. "You little bitch!" she screamed. She took a step forward, and Lucy yelled "Now!" Above the table they were beside, was the railing of a balcony from the second floor. On that balcony stood Erza and Levy, both holding a paint can filled to the brim with sticky green goo Grandine and Lucy had whipped up earlier that day. At Lucy's yell, they simultaneously tipped the goo over the railing. Right on top of Lissana.

She shrieked loudly as the goo splattered all over, covering her from head to foot. Natsu and Lucy had backed away from the splash zone. Lissana stood with green goo dripping from her nose and her silver hair. Her dress was completely covered with the sticky concoction. The whole ballroom was silent in shock. A snort slipped out of Natsu's mouth. He doubled over clutching his stomach as he laughed. Lucy soon joined in with his hysterical laughter, and was closely followed by Gray, Gajeel and Jellal, and then the whole room rang with laughter. Students clutched at their stomachs as Lissana's face turned scarlet. Most of the teachers present couldn't stop themselves from joining in.

Lissana marched out of the room, blushing furiously, every movement accompanied by a wet squelching noise. Soon the laughter died down, and the gossiping students went back to dancing. "You're evil" Natsu chuckled as he pulled Lucy beside him. Lucy grinned. "You love it" she said, pressing her lips to his. Natsu slipped his hands to her waist and pulled her closer. "That I do" his whispered against her lips. Turning, they saw that Erza and Jellal were already locked in a dance, Levy had dragged a grumpy Gajeel onto the dance floor, and Juvia had promptly fainted after Gray asked her to dance and was now lying on the floor while a frantic Gray fanned her with a piece of paper.

"Would you honour me with a dance, milady?" Natsu asked, bowing at the waist as he held out a hand. Grinning, Lucy took it and let him swing her onto the dance floor.

•••

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Jellal and Erza sat at one large white table-clothed table as Principle Makarov continued his speech. The students were bored to tears at this point. Lucy fiddled with the stem of her glass as she leaned against Natsu and he rested his head on top of hers. Natsu occupied himself with taking care of the many boys how were checking out Lucy. Every time one of them looked at her he would use the arm wrapped around her waist to pull her closer then send a glare hot enough to melt steel at the culprit. Needless to say they didn't look back.

Lucy smiled at how cute he was when he was jealous. She tucked her head under his chin and cuddled closer to him. Natsu nuzzled her hair in response, and stroked her hand were it was interlaced with his underneath the table. "Now ladies and gentlemen" Makarov said. "It's time to announce this years Prom King and Queen!" Cheers filled the ballroom as Mr Makarov cleared his throat and opened the golden envelope in front of him.

"This years Prom King is…Natsu Dragneel!" Loud cheers followed the announcement. Natsu reluctantly parted from Lucy, kissed her quickly and made his way on stage. A plastic golden crown was placed on his head and he waved merrily to the crowd. Several females fainted, much to Lucy's annoyance. She picked up her glass and raised it to her lips as Mr Makarov revealed the next name. "This years Prom Queen is…Lucy Heartfilia!"

Lucy spat out a spray of water over the table as she gaped in shock. Stunned silence filled the room for a few seconds. An eruption of loud cheers broke out as Lucy sat still in shock. A beaming Natsu leapt down from the stage, raced over and carried her back up bridal style, despite her protests. A plastic gold tiara was placed on Lucy's head. Natsu chuckled as she turned to him. "There's no one else I'd want as my Queen" he said. Then he kissed her, grabbing her waist and spinning her in a circle as the room rang with deafening cheers.

•••

For the last days of school, Lucy ditched her nerd outfit for a proper one and her popularity rocketed sky-high. It was common knowledge that her and Natsu were dating…or more that she was Natsu's girl and you do not flirt with her unless you want your teeth knocked out. Lissana, on the other hand, drastically decreased in popularity levels. During the last days, she seemed to have realized how mean she had been, and one day she apologized to the whole school for it. She had most certainly become a nicer person.

As for Natsu and Lucy, they went to the same university (Fairy Tail University) along with Gray and Juvia (after three years Gray finally came to his senses and asked her out), Gajeel and Levy, and Jellal and Erza, both couples still going strong. After 7 years of believing he couldn't fall in love with Lucy any more than he already had (and after 7 years of being proven wrong every single day) Natsu finally popped the big question, and Lucy's joyous screams of "YES!" made every dog within a mile radius go deaf.

 **THE END**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me what you thought!**


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